Knowing your limitations as a working student

October was a bad month for me. I was falling behind in school and I was unproductive at work. The worst part of this for me was the feeling that I was cheating my employer. I only worked three days a week and was assigned to large projects. I felt bad because I spent lots of time figuring out what I was doing and what I needed to do next instead of making progress on the assignments. Also, school pressures were distracting me from work. Luckily, I had a great manager who helped me adjust my responsibilities and encouraged me to take a day off from time to time to catch up in school. From this experience, I learned that I need to be honest with my employer about my limitations or any hesitations I have about a particular assignment. The ACM's Code of Ethics states,

"A computing professional has a responsibility to request a change in any assignment that he or she feels cannot be completed as defined. Only after serious consideration and with full disclosure of risks and concerns to the employer or client, should one accept the assignment."

I wish that I had been wise enough to understand this concept before. I hope other working students and new working professionals can learn this lesson without the pain of hard experience.

Internet Immune System

Like germs coughed up by a room full of children, inappropriate content spreads through the Internet. We use the term "viral" all the time to describe Internet content. Just like we have to balance avoiding germs and building an immune system, we need to balance avoiding Internet filth and building self control. Parental controls and pop-up blockers will only protect us so much. At some point we will have to exercise self control, so let's make sure we get some.