The Road to Software Engineering
Finding our place in the world can be challenging and comes with many factors to consider. Whether it’s the way we portray ourselves physically or verbally, the decisions we make when faced with dilemmas, how we diet or take care of ourselves, as well as many things. The list can be endless and varies from each person to the next, but collectively it determines what we see (or would like to see) when we look in the mirror. Personally, one of my biggest challenges was determining the career I wanted to pursue.
The environment I grew up in was never really consistent, whether it was alternating between schools, homes , or even different countries. Surprisingly, I’d noticed a decent majority of the people I met had some certainty of what they wanted to do professionally. It either sparked their interest or gave them a sense of fulfillment at some point in their lives, at least to an extent that I couldn’t seem to achieve. I took online quizzes, spoke to teachers and guidance counselor, and utilized other resources but nothing really stood out to me. When it came to my skillset, I felt like my abilities had a very wide mediocre spectrum rather than one that was narrowed down yet strong. My qualities ranged from fluency in multiple languages to fixing cars and electronics, making pizzas to managing restaurants, and even my hobbies ranged from playing sports to playing musical instruments. It was almost as if my qualities were just a shuffled music playlist composed of any genre you could think of. It wasn’t until I stopped searching for my career with such literal means of simply finding a pattern, but instead asked myself how I acquired such a broad range of skills. The common denominator between all of them was that whenever I was faced with a new challenge or issue, I took a passionate interest in familiarizing myself with the situation, researching more about the issue and it’s nature, and lastly, applying the newly gained information with existing knowledge and fundamentals towards eventually figuring out and overcoming the problem. If I couldn’t get the answer directly, I’d keep learning until I found a solution of my own. As a result, I learned to fix cars and electronics from all the times I couldn’t afford a mechanic or a new MacBook from Apple, I learned to speak Spanish from all the times there was a language barrier between my co-workers and I, and many other things as well. The best part of each skill I achieved was engaging my brain to fix the issues associated with it. This epiphany is what surfaced my true skills; creative problem solving through logical thinking, thus directing my attention to and learning more about Software Development in Computer Science.
With my newly found interest, I still had a slight setback which was working long and exhausting hours between jobs in the food-service industry, coinciding with a financial situation that heavily depended on it. A degree in C.S. would take years to accomplish as a part-time student and even then, would I actually have the time and energy to commit to it the way I’d like to? The possibility of attending school and falling shy of my absolute best made me hesitant as I could potentially end up in a financial ditch rather than turn my life around for the better and if there’s anything I sincerely value, it’s one being honest with themselves as a form of self-awareness. Time passed and I eventually started having doubts as to whether or not it was doable or even an option anymore. Oddly enough, my older brother came to visit from overseas not long after and introduced me to what Coding Bootcamps are. For the first time in my life, I had experienced what felt like life speaking back to me and finally found my calling. The more research I did, the more it made sense. A rigorous, yet timely-mannered program which called on all my strengths and I could fully commit to, completely turning my life around. Additionally, it establishes an opportunity to becoming Engineer!
I’d spent so much of my life working extremely hard, doing whatever I possibly can for others, putting forth my best efforts for everyone but myself. Although I have no regrets towards my past, I know it stemmed subconsciously out of fear not knowing what I wanted to do for myself. Considering where I am today, especially at Flatiron of all schools, I’ve never been more certain, happier, motivated, and above all proud of myself for diving in for the sake of progression. That feeling only grows as I continue understanding new material, make new connections, and apply it all towards problem solving that feels familiar in ways (even if I was ripping my hair out to a point of balding during the first week). Aside from how it happened, the best part and what I’ve gained most is finally looking in the mirror and seeing the person I am and well on my way to becoming. I see it every day without a single doubt or question in mind and it reminds me why I decided to study Software Engineering.
