C++

No it's not a grade. It's a class that I'm taking.

My counselor gave me a brochure explaining the course a few weeks ago. It would be taught at Rockwell, and it would teach us how to use the C++ program to create computer programs of our own (I guess, my dad told me, that there was a C program which got updated to a C+ program which got even more advanced with the C++ program- how creative). Sound nerdy? Complicated?

I can't lie, it's both. I walked into the class to find numerous boys parted hair. A lucky few appeared to get sun on a regular basis (though I'm pretty pale, myself, so I can't be overly-critical). But it was nothing I hadn't seen before- there were no nerd cases more extreme than the ones I had seen at math competitions. So I wasn't bugged. Only nervous.

When the lady called and interviewed me, she asked,

"What are your previous computer skills?"

I told the truth: not much. Sure, I know how to surf the web, use, iTunes, Microsoft Word, Publisher, and Excel. But when it actually came to the going-behind-the-scenes, making-my-own-program familiarity, there was none. She said that would be fine, though, because we would meet twice a week for two hours: one hour was a classroom-setting, the other was the "lab", or applying the lessons.

My first class was on Tuesday. I showed up with a notebook and pencil, not knowing what to expect.

What did I get? A class of computer lingo and concepts that meant nothing to me.

"I know I'm going really slow," our instructor said, "but I'm just trying to cover the bases."

Slow? I scribbled down some notes and tried to keep a look on my face that made me look like I understood everything. That's what everyone else looked like (that or bored out of their minds with such a simple lesson on int, float, double, cout<<, cin>>, etc.) If this was her on slow, what would the next class be like? The one after that? I felt like I was in an world where nothing made sense. And I didn't like it.

Once the learning for the day was over, we made our way over the "lab", which was more like a bunch of cubicles filled with computers. As we walked over, my friend and I had a mini freak-out session. What had we gotten ourselves into?

A kid next to us said, "So, did you have any idea what was going on in there?" We shook our heads. He smiled and breathed a sign of relief. "Thank God! I thought I was alone!"

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, after all.

I'll save the lab for next time. (oh, and this picture? well, we're nowhere near doing this stuff, but it's a possibility someday)