Starting from scratch
Why Web Development?
At 31 years old with multiple careers’ under my belt that are completely unrelated to the tech world, it was almost as much of a surprise to me that I chose a path in software development as it has been to others. I have followed careers revolving around some of my greatest passions and kept looking for an alternate route when the passion driven lifestyle would overtake any outside life I tried to pursue. I knew I had to find a balance between doing what I loved, and having time to do the things that made me happy. My husband has had a passion for technology for a long time and finally decided to delve into the world of programming and make it his life’s work. Through him I found that if I were to pursue a career as a web developer then I could form a work life balance that was conducive to how much time I like to spend in the mountains and with the people I love. Not only was it a more logical choice than previous paths I’ve followed but I also quickly learned how much I could find satisfaction and thrive in this field.
I have two degrees and have attended many different colleges and universities in pursuit of all of my varying interests. I love learning and will always seek out an opportunity to do so which is why programming is a perfect outlet for me. It only makes sense to me to immerse myself in a field where I can consistently learn new things and have the promise of new and exciting opportunities for as long as I remain in it rather than jumping back to school every time I get bored with what I’m doing. I am at my best when my brain is challenged and active. All the other avenues I have tried to pursue ended up feeling stagnant at some point which left me searching for a new challenge or opportunity. It’s exciting going forward with a career that promises to always be evolving because I myself want to constantly evolve and progress my knowledge and capabilities. It’s an exciting time to be in tech and I especially look forward to the opportunities available to me as a woman in the industry, both challenging and rewarding.
What has it been like learning programming so far? The first time that I tried to learn programming, while I was living out in Utah, it did not go so well. I failed to grasp concepts and wasn’t fully immersing myself in my education. Coming back to it a few months ago, I arrived with new energy and a ton more motivation driving me to succeed. Since then, the motivation has only grown towards becoming a skilled full stack developer. I am focused, driven and devoted to developing my skill set and that has made a world of difference. I am now four months into my online Web Developer Program and feel very confident with how my course work is going. There have been a lot of life events and distractions that have come up over the last few months, but despite getting pulled off course here and there, I have been able to devote most of my free time towards learning. I have found that time spent sitting at my computer, no matter what I’m doing has been boosting my confidence and abilities exponentially. My googling skills are becoming sharper, my questions are more targeted and knowledgable, and my overall understanding of how it all works grows every day.
I have completed coursework in the following areas:
Git and Github HTML and CSS Procedural Ruby Object Oriented Ruby SQL ORMS and ActiveRecord
I definitely still have a lot to learn in all of these subjects but I have a great foundation from which to build upon.