My career path was a bit unconventional. I spent four years pursuing and ultimately obtaining a bachelors degree. I had always possessed an interest in programming, however I never pursued it due to a fear that I would not succeed, and that hesitation led myself to a field I did not have an affinity for. Following graduation I began working and quickly felt as if I had made the wrong career choice. I was lost. This field did not provide me with the fulfillment I craved so dearly for in a career. There was little growth, and I knew a career change was imminent.
It took nearly a year after graduating college to discover that programming truly was my passion. I began coding and became hooked after the first week. This field provided me with all the career related elements that I longed for: problem solving, continuous learning, tech-involvement, collaboration, and public service. Most importantly, I wanted to be a part of the future. My goal was to utilize my skills and and provide services that could directly impact the community going forward.
Now, after several months of actively practicing coding and programming, I can officially say that I have completely cemented myself into this field. I took control of my future, and I cannot be happier and more excited to see where the journey leads.
Started learning Javascript from freeCodeCamp and Codecademy. This was my first taste of coding ever.
Enrolled into Harvard's Introduction to Computer Science of 2020.
Built my first website with vanilla HTML and CSS. The website was a tribute page to inspirational Margaret Hamilton, one of the first software engineers.
Earned a certificate from freeCodeCamp displaying working knowledge of developing responsive web pages.
Earned a certificate from freeCodeCamp displaying working knowledge of functional programming and data manipulation.
Started to learn the React library and how to construct web apps via component structures and state.
Discovered my first client via social media. This exponentially lead to my growth into becoming a Shopify Partner and developing backend for the first time.
Despite being heavily self-taught, I was presented with an opportunity to have a full ride via corporate-sponsorship by Target. I took the chance and applied.
A turning point in my career. I was accepted into Hackbright Academy with full scholarship to become a full-stack software engineer.
Earned a third certificate from freeCodeCamp finishing my web development curriculum of everything frontend. This opened doors to trying out JAMstack for the first time.
As a self-starter and devoted learner, the journey to software engineer is not one that gets shorter, but will always be infinite. It is only expected that this timeline will continue to grow for as long as I live. And that is quite alright with me.