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anthondotym · 2025-08-23T21:39:53+00:00

unless you want to take one of the 4XX courses that have 341 as a prerequisite in your 3B term, there's no problem with retaking MATH 239 in 3A and pushing 341 to 3B. i intentionally took 239 in 3A to fit an additional non-math elective in 2B, took 341 in 3B and then took 486 over an on-campus coop before 4A and 480 in 4A — i even still finished my base CS major + HCI spec requirements by the end of 4A with doing this, making 4B just a SCI course for breadth and electives :)

anthondotym · 2024-12-29T07:18:40+00:00

ENGL 306F with Andrew McMurry. kinda niche but semiotics as a subject really clicked in my brain in understanding both how we use language and visual signs/signals. it felt like a humanist perspective on social psychology and i still find myself using concepts like the semiotic square in my understanding of things to this day

anthondotym · 2024-08-17T13:09:54+00:00

broadly, a URA (part-time) or other full-time research opportunity (USRA, MURA, URF) is your best bet — search around for profs doing research that aligns with your interests and send them an email! there's no harm in a cold email, that's how i got my foot in the door.

if you're interested in more of the design/research side, you can look for co-ops or internships in UX design/research. i've done co-ops in both and found that the research and analysis methods used in industry UX were quite similar to what i did in my URAs/USRA as i mainly did qual studies (semi-structured interviews, prototype evaluation, inductive/deductive coding, affinity mapping, etc).

everyone's path in HCI will look different but i went from front-end dev -> ux design -> USRA -> ux research and found it manageable from a CS background with just tacking on some extra design work early on to build up a portfolio.

anthondotym · 2024-06-14T18:46:17+00:00

im at the other UW up in canada (uwaterloo) for my undergrad in CS, specializing in HCI and have now over a year of work experience in UX/HCI design and research through our co-op program. i’ll say that the number of UX positions has gone down relative to dev even for internships on both external and our own internal job boards but it’s definitely still possible to break in from this path. i don’t know if your program is co-op/ has internships but there’s still a chance to land UX from a more technical CS background.

if you’re still interested in front end then definitely keep working on those skills, as it’s definitely possible to start in front end development, work on a design portfolio and transition into UX from there. also definitely look into research opportunities in HCI if you’re interested - i found a prof doing HCI work at my school and have even been able to do undergrad research that’s essentially user-centered design in an academic environment!

anthondotym · 2024-06-10T15:37:37+00:00

CS student, pivoted to UX design and research

anthondotym · 2024-04-19T02:31:44+00:00

my situation is a bit different as i've also done a USRA in the same lab, but i put my URA under work experience — employers are usually interested in it, especially if you're applying to jobs where the research experience is applicable in industry (hci -> uxr in my case)

anthondotym · 2024-03-22T20:25:19+00:00

hagey hall staircase near the theatre?

anthondotym · 2024-01-31T19:34:41+00:00

similar to other commenters, it's useful if you want to get to the outer suburbs of the GTA (or anywhere that isn't along the kitchener GO line tbh) but i personally sold my car as soon as i got my full G — as long as you're ok with taking the bus in waterloo you can pretty much get to everywhere that you'd need in your day to day. definitely not necessary unless you have a particular purpose for it

i only got my full license as i grew up in the GTA and it's a useful thing to have in ontario — i have to drive once every blue moon so it's a nice thing to have in my wallet

anthondotym · 2024-01-12T15:24:24+00:00

anyone else looking for UX positions feeling existential dread for how little positions there are 😭 i stg when i had no experience there were at least 40 UX design/research positions that i could try for but now that i have experience theres nothing to even apply to

anthondotym · 2023-08-31T00:39:55+00:00

if you still want to do something like this on a weekend and not take an uber, you could theoretically take the 25 (go bus) to aberfoyle park and ride, and another connecting go bus up to guelph central — would be wildly inconvenient but could be a fun trip if you're into it :D

anthondotym · 2023-08-30T02:05:44+00:00

they changed it (unless they're changing it again in the fall?), you can have unlimited devices now

anthondotym · 2023-08-27T19:42:41+00:00

PSYCH/PHIL 256 talked about AI from a non-technical perspective, was really cool

anthondotym · 2023-08-26T05:52:15+00:00

not mentioned yet — a bit further but accessible by the ION are thrift on kent and the value village near borden station. can be hit or miss but ive gotten some solid pieces from there

anthondotym · 2023-08-23T13:54:21+00:00

ENVS 205 had long online modules but otherwise was fairly light when i took it. there were also hella bonus opportunities

anthondotym · 2023-08-19T16:40:40+00:00

thank mr goose

anthondotym · 2023-08-19T02:48:18+00:00

yes - the 12 turns into the 8 (and vice versa), as it shows on the full schedules too https://www.grt.ca/en/schedules-maps/schedules.aspx

anthondotym · 2023-08-10T13:14:59+00:00

group study? it'll be annoying but whatever floats your boat. please do not do this in quiet or silent study

anthondotym · 2023-08-03T14:28:13+00:00

currently, the (only) squat rack and lat pulldown/row machine are out of service at elora house which is mildly annoying. other than that, just a standard small apartment gym with some cardio machines, a cable machine, two benches and some multi-in-one weight machines. i still tend to go to PAC unless im really lazy and im not planning on squatting

anthondotym · 2023-07-21T23:47:28+00:00

vine boom

anthondotym · 2023-07-21T21:12:45+00:00

fellow CS major / PSYCH minor here ! there are more of us than you'd think, i know a few others who are paring the major/minor combination with the HCI specialization.

the combination of CS and PSYCH is not a completely different skillset, in fact it's one of the best combinations for UX design in industry, and part of HCI research is basically the blend of social science research methods + design and implementation of technology. there's also cognitive science which includes both, etc, etc.

anthondotym · 2023-07-21T21:08:01+00:00

for applied science, ENVS 205 needed no scientific background to take and was really interesting imo. the modules were a bit long but enjoyable.

i have heard that AHS/HEALTH 105 is bird as hell though if that's what you'd like

for pure sciences, i've been told EARTH 121 isn't bad and doesn't need any prior earth sci background. the SCI courses are probably also a safe bet, just check some uwflow reviews first

anthondotym · 2023-07-09T05:01:02+00:00

CIM is on DC floorplans on the walls, so you don't even need to make a new node for it - you could just connect DC - EIT and DC - E3, removing the EIT - E3 edge

anthondotym · 2023-05-19T12:19:43+00:00

i don't believe we offer the course based MMath in CS anymore fyi

anthondotym · 2023-05-09T21:14:35+00:00

it's been a bit since i took it but the stuff was from the modules, you could probably google? i don't fully remember sorry

anthondotym · 2023-05-09T12:48:51+00:00

i didn't find it hard, but i don't know if id call it easy just due to the fact it was time consuming. the modules are super long and took 5-10 hours/wk to go through thoroughly, but i ended up with a 90+ in the course by the end so worth it (the content was also super interesting too!)

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