Let me tell you about my day yesterday.  I woke up at nine and left for my morning lecture at ten.  I’m studying Applied Computing and I’m now in my second year.  I’m class rep for all second year students studying at the School of Computing.

After an hour in a lecture learning about polymorphism in C++ I’ve left feeling like I’ve not learnt a thing, this is the way of most of our lectures, we’re taught what they plan to teach us but the real learning is in practise, now knowing the starting knowledge of polymorphism it is my job to research it further and see how I can use it in my projects.  We’re warned by Michael, our C++ hating lecturer, at the start that we will not understand a word he says and really its something that we can only hope will just one day “click” in our brains several years down the line.  I still don’t fully understand what polymorphism is or why I should use it, but I’m sure I will use it on a day to day basis even if I don’t realise it.

I now have a two hour wait till my next lecture but this doesn’t mean I have a break.  For two hours I sit in the computer labs, along with several other computing students from various years, working on my coding assignment.  To make a program that simulates a cash machine in C++.  Although we’ve only been learning the language for a couple of weeks we’ve been thrown in the deep end.  Much of what we’ll write is from our own research, Google being our main aid of study.

This is a large assignment, which we’ve had three weeks to work on that is due on Monday.  It’s hard work but I’ll get there.

After an hour we decide to go for lunch, on our way in to town I’m told there’s a new Burger King just opened in the Overgate Centre.  I decide that rather than my normal McDonalds lunch I’ll give it a go, see if Burger King makes a hardy student meal.  At Burger King the new store looks good, well set out and cosy though this is not important as I’m here for take away.  After five or so minutes in a queue I’m at the front with a woman wandering around side to side in front of me.  A girl calls out “Next here!” I turn to the woman in front and ask if she’s in the queue, she attempts to tell me that she’s already ordered but before she can finish, the girl at the counter bellows “NEXT HERE NOW!”  A little shocked, I approach the counter, I ask for an Angus Meal with no tomatoes.  Noting that the prices are the same as at their retail park stores (expensive) I ask if they have any student discounts, “no!” she says sharply, almost sounding offended that I asked, “that’s £5.20” she says, still having not once said please.  I hand over my card and she darts her eyes at me and says “is this your card?!” A little shocked at this accusation I say yes and she informs me that I’ll need to sign for my purchase, it seems they still don’t have chip and pin after four years of the rest of the country being updated to the new secure technology.  I sign for my purchase and am informed that it’ll be a few minutes wait for my burger, this makes perfect sense seeing as I’ve asked for a custom made meal with no tomato.

After five minutes I finally get my meal, she shoves it toward me in a small bag, the burger box stuffed in on its side to make it fit.  “That’s yours,” she inputs, “NEXT HERE!”

I leave Burger King a little shaken, I go find a spot outside to sit and eat my meal.  After all that wait, I’ve received a standard meal complete with tomato, the bun is dry like it’s been sitting on their selves for several days.  Having worked two shifts in a McDonalds restaurant a few years ago, I know that all their ingredients are fresh and with a regular turn around, obviously the same doesn’t apply at Burger King, even if you are paying a good two pounds more for effectively the same meal.

Now 1pm it’s time for my Information Technology lecture, this is the final lecture before we give a presentation of what we’ve been working on for the IT brief, an alternative text input device for people who can’t use a keyboard.  This lecture goes well, although not the most exhilarating of lectures, it is interesting and though provoking.

Now my lectures are over but my day isn’t finished, you see, I’m also signed on as a student tutor so I now have four hours in the labs teaching first years web authoring, part of today’s lesson I have to take up informing the freshers that they require a class rep, a position that I held last year and so was informed I would be best to tell them about.  There is much reluctance among them for taking this role, which surprised me actually as it’s a role I enjoyed very much and frankly, it looks great on your CV.  After a few minutes of tedious avoiding the subject, several first years look to the back of the room at one guy.  Their nomination had been made, I spoke to him about it and he told me if no one else is interested, he may as well do it.  A few minutes later, after sitting with other students and explaining the role, I’ve had no further luck.  I go back to the lab where this guy is sitting and tell him, “Congratulations, you’re now the first year class rep.”  The reaction was not one that I expected, immediately there was ruckus as all the other freshers have stood up in standing ovation, wooting, whistling and cheering their new class rep.  Can’t say I was ever so celebrated.

At 6PM, my labs tutoring time ends.  I go back though to sit in the labs, my friends are done for the day and are packing up to leave, but I have to work on my code.  Thankfully, all computing students have 24 hour access to the labs so there’s no need for me to leave.

I sit and get on with my code, after an hour or two, I’m alone in the lab so I put on some music.  Whilst listening to spotify and drinking large doses of caffeine filled coca cola I code late into the night.  It’s ten to midnight and my left leg has fallen asleep so I take the hint, I pack up my things and I go home straight to bed.  This is a normal day for me, I will probably do it again today, and again tomorrow… but I won’t be going back to that Burger King.