How Taking AP CSP Has Helped in a National Competition

What Competition am I Talking About?

The competition I participated in was called Skills USA, a competition ment “to empower students to become skilled professionals, career-ready leaders, and responsible community members” (SkillsUSA, 2024). They accomplish this by holding competitions for students that test their skills against others. Their numerous competitions include aviation maintenance, baking, cabinetmaking, digital cinema, firefighting, welding, and many more.
The category I chose to compete in was computer programming. The competition had 3 parts, two parts had the participants send information to a server, and the last part had them create a server hosted on their computers. We can perform these tasks in any language and coding editor of our choice

How AP CSP Has Helped Me in the Competition

Well for one Dr. Edwards, the teacher of AP CSP, introduced me to the competition and made sure that we understood what needed to compete. Second, using Python for AP CSP has given me comfort in using it for the competition, despite never making a server using it. Thirdly, the course allowed me to further expand on my previous knowledge of computer programming by allowing me to access resources such as CodeHS, CompTIA, and WordPress; which allowed me to learn more about other coding languages, computer safety and cybersecurity, and website creation.
All three of these factors allowed me to push myself further in both programming and computer safety, which gave me the confidence to take a 4-day trip to Reno for the competition. Despite getting 12th place in the competition, it showed me that I could complete programming tasks on my own using the knowledge gained by AP CSP.

How to Join/ What to Expect From SkillsUSA

Last year was the first year Rancho had participated in SkillsUSA in a while, and because of it, we didn’t know much about the whole event. Because of this we also didn’t know much about the computer programming competition. However, after competing, I believe that we can give an accurate description of the competition and its challenges, and it is something that can be focused on in AP CSP.
To join the competition you must talk to Dr. Edwards about doing a competition in SkillsUSA, pay the 20-dollar fee to join the SkillsUSA club, and make a resume that focuses on previous experiences that would be helpful in the SkillsUSA competition you choose.

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