Vijf manieren om een ​​software engineer te worden, maakte een wizard voor mij

Bron: Inpensa

In 2014 studeerde ik af aan de New York University met een BA in Economics. Nadat ik de afgelopen vier jaar verliefd was geworden op hoe de economie werkt, heb ik een overgangsperiode doorgemaakt waarin ik verlangde naar de uitbreiding van mijn creativiteit. Dus besloot ik de voetstappen van mijn ouders te volgen en mijn eigen grafisch ontwerpbureau te starten.

Maar ik was niet blij of uitgedaagd. Hoewel elk project een les was over efficiënter ontwerpen, zorgde het ontwerpen van print- en brandingontwerpen er constant voor dat ik op mijn elfde niet mijn acceptatiebrief aan Hogwarts ontving. In plaats van spreuken uit te brengen, was ik een 20-jarige millennial die statische advertenties en evenementjournaals ontwerpt met afbeeldingen van mensen en logo's die niet magisch rond de pagina dansten. Ik loste geen interessante problemen op.

As an outlet to satisfy my desire for self-betterment, growth, and magic, I was determined to create a dynamic website from scratch. Along the way, I started dreaming about how to solve algorithms and what other projects I could build in code. I finally came to the realization that I wanted to become a software engineer. So, I left my stagnant days behind and applied to Bootcamp Prep at Fullstack Academy in June after having spent about two months learning JavaScript. Here are five ways my life changed since then:

1.I became more feminist — Before Bootcamp Prep was complete in August 2017 (it’s a one month program), I had applied, interviewed, and was invited to attend the Grace Hopper Program at Fullstack Academy. Every cohort consists of an all-female identifying group of students. Being around a group of women who lift each other up and support one another is a unique experience of which I am fortunate to have taken part. Thanks to Fullstack founders David Yang and Nimit Maru, who introduced the program in 2016, the whole community strives towards creating a more inclusive future with a greater female presence in STEM jobs. Women, men, elves, centaurs, goblins, etc. all included. 👩🏻‍💻

2.My confidence grew — When I first started coding, my Terminal was an empty black box, and I wasn’t sure how to solve many problems. I struggled immensely. Through those struggles, I failed and failed — and in that failure I grew. I started being able to answer coding challenges and progressed to the point where I could create full projects on my own. Throughout that process, it was just me and my computer. There was no one else pushing me through the solutions or helping me along. I proved to myself again that I could overcome adversity and be successful all on my own. At Grace Hopper, I carried my abilities into a group setting and, with the help of working with other great, confident women, we were able to create amazing applications that I could have only dreamed of as a graphic designer. I’m Ronald Weasley after his first Quidditch match. 🏆

3.I learned prioritization and time management — I value my time more now that I’m a software engineer. My time is fungible for lines of code. Those lines could contribute to an app that could greatly improve everyday life or efficiency. Because of this, I focus more on what’s important and cut out the fat. I try to be as efficient with my time as Hermione with a time turner. ⏳

4.I’m happy — A year ago I was unfulfilled, working on my own, and trying to find my calling. Lo and behold it was within my local scope the whole time (see what I did there with scope? 🤓). I’ve spent my life on or around computers, and I constantly wanted to learn more but never thought of it as a career for myself until I Googled “best coding bootcamps in NYC" and came across Grace Hopper. Once I was enlightened, everything did not fall magically into place. I worked extremely hard to get here, and I am satisfied with how the better part of the past 11 months have unfolded. Everything that happened was a reaction to some action that I put into place because of a desire to change my life. Now, I get to creatively solve technical problems and — if I want to design — make things aesthetically pleasing. I’m in control of my own destiny. No need for Professor Trelawney’s grim tea leaves. 🐺

5.I fulfilled my wildest dream: becoming a wizard — An incredibly satisfying part of software engineering is actually building something from nothing. Because I now create dynamic web applications and software and think more technically than I once did, I feel like I attended a muggle Hogwarts by joining the Fullstack community. Software engineers don’t have wands, but we can have a lot of Slack emojis involving Harry Potter and the ability to make a little magic. Alohomora on that life, honey! YAAAS! 🚪

Source: Warner Bros. TV (giphy)

If you’d like to contact me about my career change or have an opportunity for me, feel free to email me, dive into my code on github, or tweet me.

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