The Computer Science Undergraduate Guide To The 2020 Quarantine

I never realized how much I’d miss Starbucks coffee until this.

When you’ve got nothing to do, nowhere to go and but a laptop to keep you busy, no better person to be in this quarantine than a computer scientist! All jokes aside, this can be a powerful time to take back productivity and not give into Tom Nook’s trance of being glued to video games.
Here’s my guide to being productive.

Notion

You know how you never know you need something until you ACTUALLY have it? That’s how I feel about Notion. Notion is essentially a customizable workspace to manage ambitious thoughts and pet projects! You can use Notion to manage your personal calendar, to take notes, keep lists, write blogs and diaries. It’s nice to have everything I need in one place, instead of accessing an app for my calendar, a different one for my school notes, etc.

Oh, and if you’re a post-secondary student, their $4 monthly personal plan is completely free for you, forever.

This is a demo version of my browser’s homepage! You wouldn’t believe how much better this is than seeing a search engine upon launching Google Chrome. Accessing my personal Notion everyday keeps me focused, productive and constantly moving towards my goals.

GitHub Student Developer Pack

Most computer scientists who’ve used this will agree, this is an absolute treasure trove of free goodies. Like, seriously.

For those not in-the-know, let me introduce you to a CS heaven: GitHub Student Developer Pack. This isn’t just for those interested in a sweet free Github Pro account.

Need a Website? Get a free domain name and Advanced Security!
Interested in learning game development? BAM! Access to a Unity Student Plan!
Scrolled down and now you are thinking about changing text editors? Try Atom!

There are SO many other tools included! AWS, coding courses, Microsoft Azure, email services, Canva Pro; a little something for everyone. Click the link above and scroll past the backpack icon to look at all the free pro accounts you can get with this service. Thanks GitHub!

Setup Your Text Editor

Too many times during the last school year, some of my friends will show me their amazing, customized, keyboard-shortcut effecient text editor. I stare in awe, thinking “Wow, having a custom setup would make my life so much easier!”

Alas, customizing a text editor exactly to one’s exact specifications is time-sink I never had… Assignments were due in a week and I had to focus all my energy on that, rather than the fact I was using base Nano.
(Everything about Nano is a nightmare… sorry, but it’s true)

Finally, this quarantine will give Computer Scientists the time to either find a new text editor or continue to upgrade their own. If you are really new to text editors, I’d suggest either Sublime or Atom (which is included in the GitHub Student Developer Pack). If you are a true customizer who wants to sink some time to perfect every detail, check out Vim.

Let’s make our lives easier in the future and work on those text editors!

Online Courses

No better time than now to learn new skills! For computer science students, we all know that LONG list of skills asked for in job postings. Let’s surprise employers and learn a couple new programming languages!

My favourite online course offering service is Coursera. I really appreciate how much of an emphasis they have on getting certificates from the courses! Those are awesome to add to a Linkedin or a resume.

They have courses on programming languages, big data, machine learning, web development, game design and so much more! They also have non-computer science programs, like personal fitness, learning a new language, and biology. You can either pay for the course for the full experience, or if you just want access to the learning material, you can audit most courses for free!

I’d reccommend to computer scientists to pick up the GitHub goodies above, then log on to Coursera to get workplace proficiency with those tools.

Use Animal Crossing as a Reward

Okay, let me be honest for a minute: I wrote this entire post with a Nintendo Switch beside me and my PS4 playing Spotify. I get it, I love video games. I fall into these addictive trances of gaming all the time.

That’s where we need to draw the line. Video game enjoyment should be seperate from video game addiction! So, why not do what mass marketing does to us with useless points cards, and gamify the gaming experience.

What I mean is, allow yourself to play video games on a reward’s based system. Set small goals for yourself, organize your plan for the day, and everytime you reach a small goal, play 15 minutes, half an hour or an hour of games, dependent on the goal and the effort. Doing this will allow you to have fun during quarantine, but also leave you with the rewarding feeling of accomplishment.

If you’ve spent too many days during this quarantine playing video games or goofing off, this can be a great way to turn things around. I’d recommend gradually getting yourself off obsessive gaming, as too drastic of a switch can lower morale.