All Prayers
A map of moments for prayer in the life of computer science
Written prayers appear as links. The rest are moments still waiting for words — select “contribute” next to any of them to send us yours.
I. The Rhythms of the Academic Year
Beginnings
The first days, new courses, and fresh starts
- Revising a Course
- The First Day (For Students) draft
- The First Day (For Professors)contribute
- Beginning a New Coursecontribute
- Starting a Capstone Projectcontribute
- Beginning Graduate Studiescontribute
- Starting Your First Faculty Positioncontribute
- Beginning a Sabbaticalcontribute
Middles
Midterm pressure, exhaustion, and the long weeks
- Midterm Seasoncontribute
- Before Spring Breakcontribute
- When the Semester Feels Endlesscontribute
- During a Challenging Unitcontribute
- The Grind of Weeks 6-10contribute
Endings
Finals, grading, graduation, and closure
- Final Exam Week (For Students)contribute
- Final Exam Week (For Professors)contribute
- Submitting Final Gradescontribute
- The Last Class Meetingcontribute
- Graduation Day (For Students)contribute
- Graduation Day (For Professors)contribute
- End of Academic Yearcontribute
- Receiving Course Evaluations
Transitions
Choosing majors, changing careers, and life shifts
- Choosing Computer Sciencecontribute
- Switching to CScontribute
- Declaring a CS Minorcontribute
- The Summer Betweencontribute
- From Undergraduate to Graduatecontribute
- From Student to Professionalcontribute
- From Academia to Industrycontribute
- From Industry to Academiacontribute
- Retirement from Teachingcontribute
II. The Work of Learning (For Students)
Intellectual Struggle
When concepts won’t click and confusion reigns
- When a Concept Won’t Clickcontribute
- Before Reading Dense Materialcontribute
- Facing an Impossible Problem Setcontribute
- When Everyone Else Seems to Understandcontribute
- Learning a New Programming Languagecontribute
- Encountering Proofscontribute
- Wrestling with Recursioncontribute
- Understanding Pointers and Memorycontribute
- Grasping Big-O Notation draft
- Making Sense of Functional Programmingcontribute
Breakthrough Moments
Understanding dawns and problems solved
- When Understanding Finally Dawnscontribute
- Completing a Challenging Assignmentcontribute
- First Successful Compile and Runcontribute
- Solving What Seemed Impossiblecontribute
- Making Unexpected Connectionscontribute
- Understanding Whycontribute
Daily Work
Coding sessions, study groups, and office hours
- Late Night Codingcontribute
- Opening Your Laptop to Workcontribute
- Before Office Hourscontribute
- Before Asking a Question in Classcontribute
- Reviewing Notes After Lecturecontribute
- During a Study Groupcontribute
- Reading Documentationcontribute
Assessment
Exams, grades, interviews, and evaluation
- Before Taking an Examcontribute
- During an Examcontribute
- After a Disappointing Gradecontribute
- After an Encouraging Gradecontribute
- Waiting for Gradescontribute
- Before a Code Reviewcontribute
- During a Technical Interviewcontribute
III. The Work of Teaching (For Professors)
Preparation
Planning courses, lectures, and assignments
- Planning New Coursecontribute
- Writing Syllabuscontribute
- Preparing Lecturecontribute
- Creating Assignmentcontribute
- Designing Examcontribute
- Choosing Topicscontribute
- Updating Materialscontribute
- Learning To Teachcontribute
In the Classroom
Teaching moments, student engagement, and live coding
- Before Class Beginscontribute
- Starting Lecturecontribute
- Students Not Followingcontribute
- Question Unknown Answercontribute
- Teaching Twentieth Timecontribute
- Students Engagedcontribute
- Students Checked Outcontribute
- Live Codingcontribute
- Last Minutescontribute
One-on-One Moments
- Before Office Hourscontribute
- Struggling Studentcontribute
- Career Advicecontribute
- Recommendation Lettercontribute
- Mentoring Researchcontribute
- Academic Dishonestycontribute
Assessment & Feedback
Grading, feedback, and evaluation
- Before Gradingcontribute
- While Gradingcontribute
- Writing Feedbackcontribute
- Calculating Gradescontribute
- Failing Gradecontribute
- Exceptional Workcontribute
Professional Life
Research, tenure, conferences, and balance
- Faculty Meetingcontribute
- Tenure Reviewcontribute
- Submitting Papercontribute
- Paper Rejectioncontribute
- Presenting Conferencecontribute
- New Research Projectcontribute
- Research Dead Endcontribute
- Applying For Grantscontribute
- Reviewing Papers draft
- Balancing Teaching Researchcontribute
IV. Collaboration & Community
Working Together
Group projects, pair programming, and teamwork
- Beginning Group Projectcontribute
- Group Conflictcontribute
- Pair Programmingcontribute
- Giving Code Reviewcontribute
- Receiving Code Reviewcontribute
- First Open Sourcecontribute
- Teammate Not Contributingcontribute
- You Not Contributingcontribute
Academic Community
Departments, conferences, and scholarly fellowship
- Department Meetingcontribute
- Faculty Hiringcontribute
- Welcoming Colleaguecontribute
- Colleague Leavescontribute
- CS Conferencecontribute
- Hackathoncontribute
- Grace Hoppercontribute
- Competitive Communitycontribute
Mentorship
Advisor-advisee relationships
- Taking Adviseecontribute
- Assigned Advisorcontribute
- Mentoring Clickscontribute
- Difficult Mentoringcontribute
- Mentee Surpassescontribute
- Goodbye To Adviseecontribute
V. The Practice of Programming
Creation
Starting projects, designing systems, and creative flow
- Starting New Projectcontribute
- First Line Of Codecontribute
- Choosing Tech Stackcontribute
- Designing Systemcontribute
- Creative Flowcontribute
- Building Beautifulcontribute
Debugging & Problem-Solving
Hunting bugs, reading errors, and finding solutions
- Wont Compilecontribute
- Runtime Errorcontribute
- Hunting Bugcontribute
- Hours Of Debuggingcontribute
- Reading Errorscontribute
- Stack Overflow Errorcontribute
- Memory Issuescontribute
- Finding The Bugcontribute
- Legacy Codecontribute
- Refactoringcontribute
Testing
Writing tests, passes and failures
- Writing Testscontribute
- All Tests Passcontribute
- Tests Failcontribute
- Integration Testingcontribute
- User Testingcontribute
Deployment & Maintenance
Production, monitoring, and long-term care
- Deploying Productioncontribute
- Deployment Failscontribute
- Monitoring Systemcontribute
- System Failurecontribute
- Maintaining Old Codecontribute
VI. Moments of Struggle & Doubt
Personal Challenges
Imposter syndrome, burnout, and exhaustion
- Imposter Syndromecontribute
- Comparisoncontribute
- Not Technical Enoughcontribute
- Not Creative Enoughcontribute
- Wrong Fieldcontribute
- Burnoutcontribute
- When work-life balance is lost draft
- Late Nights Exhaustioncontribute
- Missing Personal Eventscontribute
Failure & Setback
Rejection, mistakes, and career setbacks
- Failing Examcontribute
- No Internshipcontribute
- Grad School Rejectioncontribute
- Paper Rejectioncontribute
- Grant Denialcontribute
- Not Getting Tenurecontribute
- Project Failscontribute
- Costly Mistakecontribute
- Laid Offcontribute
Ethical Struggles
When code is misused and integrity is tested
- Code Used Unethicallycontribute
- Pressure To Compromisecontribute
- Reporting Dishonestycontribute
- AI Causing Harmcontribute
- Innovation Responsibilitycontribute
- Asked To Build Wrongcontribute
VII. Ethical & Vocational Formation
Wisdom & Discernment
Algorithmic bias, privacy, accessibility, and responsibility
- Architectural Decisionscontribute
- Accessibilitycontribute
- Algorithmic Biascontribute
- Data Privacycontribute
- Deploying Aicontribute
- Vulnerable Populationscontribute
- Profit Vs Ethicscontribute
- Environmental Impactcontribute
Vocation & Calling
Discerning your path and finding meaning
- Discerning Cscontribute
- Choosing Specializationcontribute
- Industry Or Academiacontribute
- Competing Job Offerscontribute
- Is This Callingcontribute
- Skills Serve Otherscontribute
- Money Or Meaningcontribute
Character Formation
Humility, patience, perseverance, and grace
- Humbled By Unknowingcontribute
- Learning From Mistakescontribute
- Receiving Criticismcontribute
- Patience Through Debuggingcontribute
- Perseverancecontribute
- Humility In Collaborationcontribute
VIII. Specific CS Domains & Concepts
Core Areas
Data structures, algorithms, architecture, and theory
- Data Structurescontribute
- Algorithmscontribute
- Computer Architecturecontribute
- Theory Of Computationcontribute
- Database Designcontribute
- Operating Systemscontribute
- Networkscontribute
- Compilerscontribute
Specialized Fields
AI/ML, graphics, cybersecurity, HCI, and robotics
- Beginning Ai Mlcontribute
- First Neural Networkcontribute
- Large Language Modelscontribute
- Computer Graphicscontribute
- Cybersecuritycontribute
- Hcicontribute
- Software Engineeringcontribute
- Embedded Systemscontribute
Mathematical Foundations
Discrete math, probability, linear algebra, and cryptography
- Discrete Mathcontribute
- Probability Statisticscontribute
- Linear Algebracontribute
- Formal Methodscontribute
- Graph Theorycontribute
- Cryptographycontribute
IX. Technology & Tools
Git, IDEs, terminals, servers, and infrastructure
- First Gitcontribute
- Dev Environmentcontribute
- Command Linecontribute
- Working In Terminalcontribute
- Using Idecontribute
- Keyboard Shortcutscontribute
- Servers Downcontribute
- Database Corruptioncontribute
- Lost Workcontribute
- Backup Recoverycontribute
- Cloud Computingcontribute
X. Seasons & Daily Rhythms
Daily Moments
Morning coffee, afternoon slumps, and closing your laptop
- Morning Coffee draft
- Afternoon Slumpcontribute
- Late Night Codingcontribute
- Walking Awaycontribute
- Returning Freshcontribute
- Commute To Campuscontribute
- Arriving Labcontribute
- Closing Laptopcontribute
Weekly Rhythms
Monday beginnings, Wednesday humps, Friday endings
- Monday Morningcontribute
- Wednesday Humpcontribute
- Friday Afternooncontribute
- Weekend Workcontribute
- Weekend Restcontribute
Seasonal Moments
Fall energy, winter darkness, spring renewal, summer work
- Fall Semester Energycontribute
- Winter Darknesscontribute
- Spring Renewalcontribute
- Summer Researchcontribute
- Summer Restcontribute
XI. Relationships & Humanity
With Students (For Professors)
- Struggling Personallycontribute
- Student Discovers Callingcontribute
- Firm But Lovingcontribute
- Celebrating Successcontribute
- Grieving With Studentscontribute
- Mental Healthcontribute
With Professors (For Students)
- Professor Retires
- Extraordinary Carecontribute
- Disappointing Professorcontribute
- Professors Are Humancontribute
- Gratitude For Mentorshipcontribute
With Peers
Friendship, competition, and mutual support
- Making Friendscontribute
- Professional Jealousycontribute
- Celebrating Otherscontribute
- Supporting a struggling peercontribute
- Healthy Competitioncontribute
- Mutual Learningcontribute
- Supporting Peerscontribute
With Family & Friends
Bridging CS and non-CS worlds
- Non CS Dont Understandcontribute
- Missing Family Timecontribute
- Trying To Explaincontribute
- Loved Ones Supportcontribute
- When They Dontcontribute
XII. The Life of the Mind
Wonder & Beauty
Elegant algorithms and computational artistry
- Elegant Codecontribute
- Beautiful Algorithmcontribute
- Mathematics Beneathcontribute
- Complexity Becomes Simplecontribute
- Computational Thinkingcontribute
- Artistry Of Designcontribute
Limits & Mystery
What computers cannot do and questions without answers
- Limits Of Computationcontribute
- Undecidabilitycontribute
- Halting Problemcontribute
- What Computers Cant Docontribute
- Consciousness And Aicontribute
- Questions Tech Cant Answercontribute
Integration
Faith, technology, liberal arts, and human flourishing
- CS Other Disciplinescontribute
- Faith And Technologycontribute
- CS Liberal Artscontribute
- Science Humanitiescontribute
- Tech Human Flourishingcontribute
XIII. Special Occasions
Celebrations
Hackathons, publications, theses, and first job offers
- Winning Hackathoncontribute
- Publishing First Papercontribute
- Defending Thesiscontribute
- First Job Offercontribute
- Launching Productcontribute
- First Hello Worldcontribute
- Department Celebrationscontribute
Commemorations
Honoring pioneers and CS history
- CS Pioneer Passescontribute
- Honoring Those Beforecontribute
- History Of Computingcontribute
- Key Momentscontribute
Lament
When technology harms and innovation outpaces wisdom
- Tech Used For Harmcontribute
- AI Ethics Failurescontribute
- Data Breachescontribute
- Algorithms Perpetuate Injusticecontribute
- Techs Role In Isolationcontribute
- Dark Side Social Mediacontribute
- Innovation Outpaces Wisdomcontribute