I think I got ahead of myself here… so I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself & where I’m coming from.
My name is Dorothy. I’m 28 years old, married, with 2 daughters. My second daughter was born at the beginning of 2021, so I wasn’t working. I want to eventually return to the workforce, but I wanted to be able to earn more income than I was when I was working in the office of a landscape supply yard. I started doing some research into the things I thought I’d enjoy (because I hate the idea of doing a job that I loathe) and that I would be able to learn/start within a reasonable amount of time (6 months or so?).
I found software engineering and web development. The only experience I have with anything similar is the computer class I took when I got my associate’s degree. And I failed that class. TWICE. In my defense, I liked the class, but it was online & fast-paced. I didn’t use the resources that were available to me. I didn’t manage my time very well. I didn’t do a lot of things the way I should have.
Fast forward to a couple months ago when I started looking into learning all of this. I was overwhelmed with a ton on information - bootcamps, free courses, paid courses, languages, projects, portfolios, groups, softwares. I. Was. Scared. It was overwhelming. Way too much! Then one day, as I was browsing a bootcamp page that popped up in an Instagram ad, I saw a familiar face. There was a Linkedin snippet of a guy I went to high school with, apparently he might be an instructor for the course. I went to his Linkedin profile & browsed through his education & work history. He had some very different jobs, completed a bootcamp, and was working as a software engineer now! I messaged him & told him about this funny coincidence. We ended up having a Zoom chat later that day where he just talked to me about his experience with the bootcamp, shared resources, and gave tips.
I think that day was the turning point for me. Up until that day, I was on the fence. Sure, I had started some free courses on Codecademy and wherever else, but it wasn’t a major focus. I was still just browsing. I was also still thinking , “Maybe I just need to get a job..”. But that day, I realized that I had the resources (there are so many FREE resources available), I had the support (I’m in Facebook groups, I have at least one friend with experience, my husband is supportive & able to financially support us), I had the time (sure, it’s a struggle between keeping up the house & raising 2 kids including a baby that needs me almost 24/7, but it’s not like I have a job I need to show up to or school assignments I’m already working on). So I’m doing it! I got more serious with the courses & finished one. I found more resources. Started more courses. Asked questions. Learned some more. Made cool, nerdy discoveries (the command line made me go “woooow 😱”).
Now, here I am. Not as far into learning as I’d like to be. But still working at it. Trying to do a little more each day. My goal is to get somewhat comfortable, find some small gig/freelancing work to reinforce my skills & build a portfolio, and then find a great job with a company that I genuinely like. It’s going to be tough, I know that. But that’s mainly why I started with blog/journal. I need to document this journey for myself. I can look back on these days at admire my tenacity. And if others find it helpful, that’s great too.