"Coding is a boring, mundane activity that does not allow for creativity."

This was my original viewpoint on the computer science topic as a whole, until I took the Flintolabs course.

I realized that there was so much more to computer science than just coding, and that it actually promotes creativity rather than stifles it. I spent about four months learning the ins and outs of AI, entrepreneurship, and more, and soon discovered how I could apply my own hobbies into the assignments I needed to complete. For my idea, I centered it around fashion; one of my strongest interests. I was able to create an app and business for things that I liked, which ended up helping me learn more because I was more engaged, and also found a newfound love for technology and coding.

Using AI and the frameworks learned at Flintolabs, I built an app that would recommend clothes that were my style from photos of clothes in my closet. I was able to apply Teachable machine and AI app development concepts from the program to this idea.

The Zoom meetings coupled with the informative and engaging lessons helped guide me, and aided my journey in this new space. I was able to quickly grasp complicated concepts that were college level in a matter of minutes all while understanding the topics presented to me. The assignments, due at the end of each week, were fun to complete and gave me creative liberties, which helped me finish each one within an hour at most. I was able to use my public speaking skills to present my final project, and even earned a certificate of completion which was extremely rewarding. The meetings were also engaging, and urged class participation and questions to ensure that you were getting the most out of each session. Slowly, my distaste for coding began to ebb away as I finally realized the true power it held, and how integral it is to my daily life and my various hobbies. 

I was able to create something I was proud of with nearly no knowledge of coding, and I only have Flintolabs to thank for that.