Hello, tech world! My name is Vaness Abalos, and I am a 1st-year Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSCS) student. This is my very first technical blog post. So, welcome, and I hope you will enjoy!

Starting this college journey has been very exciting and thrilling. But as I begin to discover the world of algorithms, sleepless debugging sessions, and code syntax, I wanted to wander to reflect on my decision for choosing this course. Why did I choose Computer Science, and the most important thing, what do I hope to build with it? Let's start!

Why I Chose Computer Science

My interest with technology didn't start with complex coding. On my childhood, I have been always surprised on how computers and my favorite video games really works. Since then, I became obsessed and fascinated to the world of programming. As time goes by, I learned new things and solved tech-related problems. It became my hobby, and that hobby turned into passion. And one day, I realized that choosing Computer Science is the right call for me, as it fits my interest and passion in life.

These are the three reasons why I chose this journey:

1. Creativity: Computer Science is one of the few fields where you can create something you like and yet helpful to the community.

2. Problem Solving: I’ve always loved puzzles. Simplifying complex problems that anybody can understand is very satisfying for me.

3. Future-Proofing My Skills: Technology is changing rapidly. From AI, game development, cybersecurity, etc., I can be sure that I can have my future secured.

What I Hope to Build

I want to create something that can be useful to the community. What I have in mind is to make a feature-rich chess graphical user interface (GUI) that is open-source, as most of it are paid programs. I love chess, and I want to show it to the chess community by making a useful chess GUI.

My First Steps: Writing Code 💻

As a first-year student, I am currently learning the fundamentals. They say that every programmer’s journey begins with "Hello World". So, I am eager to learn more in order to improve my skills. Here is a simple program I wrote on our Fundamentals of Programming subject activity. It is a simple grocery store checkout program that checks the customer's items and quantity, calculates the item's total cost, customer's payment, and change.

// My Simple Grocery Store Checkout Program 😎 //

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <iomanip>

using namespace std;

int main() {
    
    // Declare the variables for three items with fixed prices. //  

        string item1Name = "Banana Chips", item2Name = "Mega Sardines", item3Name = "1/2 Washed Sugar";
        double item1Price = 150.75, item2Price = 24.50, item3Price = 36.00;
        int item1Quantity, item2Quantity, item3Quantity;
        int totalItemsPurchased;
     
    // Displaying the Item Names and Prices //
        cout << "Item 1: " << item1Name << endl;
        cout << "Price: " << item1Price << endl;
        cout << "----------------------------------------" << endl;
        
        cout << "Item 2: " << item2Name << endl;
        cout << "Price: " << item2Price << endl;
        cout << "----------------------------------------" << endl;

        cout << "Item 3: " << item3Name << endl;
        cout << "Price: " << item3Price << endl;
        cout << "----------------------------------------" << endl;

    // Input the Quantities for Each Item //
        cout << "Enter Quantity for " << item1Name << ": "; 
        cin >> item1Quantity;
       
        cout << "Enter Quantity for " << item2Name << ": "; 
        cin >> item2Quantity;
       
        cout << "Enter Quantity for " << item3Name << ": "; 
        cin >> item3Quantity;
        cout << "----------------------------------------" << endl;

        cout << "Total Items Purchased: " << item1Quantity + item2Quantity + item3Quantity << endl;

    // Calculating the Total Amount Due. //
        double totalAmountDue = (item1Price * item1Quantity) + (item2Price * item2Quantity) + (item3Price * item3Quantity);

    // Displaying the Total Amount Due //
        cout << "Total Amount Due: " << totalAmountDue << endl;
        cout << "----------------------------------------" << endl;
           
        
    // Input Cash Payment //
        double cashPayment;
           cout << "Enter Cash Payment: ";
           cin >> cashPayment;
           cout << "----------------------------------------" << endl;
        
    // Calculating the Change //
        double change = cashPayment - totalAmountDue;
        if (cashPayment >= totalAmountDue) {
            cout << "Total Change: "<< change << endl;
            cout << "----------------------------------------" << endl;
            cout << "Thank You for Shopping! Have a Great Day!" << endl;
        } 
        else {
            cout << "Insufficient Cash Payment" << endl;
            cout << "Amount Still Needed: " << totalAmountDue - cashPayment << endl;
        }
return 0;

}

If you have any tips or suggestions on how I can improve my technical skills, it would be an honor to receive it. Feel free to view my resume and connect with me on my LinkedIn profile. Thank you very much!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abalosvaness/

Resume on Canva: https://canva.link/mo0r4p8wwxfjjki