Working within technology, be it design or development, is a fast-paced world. These fields are constantly moving and changing, breaking down barriers and evolving to new possibilities. This can be daunting and scary to some, but can instead excite and energize others. This world of technology needs people who are “life-long learners”, those people who are motivated by a fast paced and ever-changing career field and are willing to put in the work to further themselves and others to push the status quo forwards.
About Me
Having spent the past 6 years learning design technique and tools, getting introduced and now working in web design and development, I can attest that you never stop learning new things in this industry. I was introduced to web design while studying Graphic Design at the Art Institute of Colorado. There I learned classic HTML and CSS, with minimal ability to make pre-written JS snippets “work” as solutions for my website’s needs. After building several websites both hand-coded and with the use of a CMS (Wordpress, Duda, Webflow, Wix), the desire for more just kept growing. I love the coding environment, and making things happen, making things work, and making things live through languages built in code.
New Direction
In August of 2019, I decided to take my love for learning and love for code to the next level. I decided to enroll in the Flatiron School software engineer program. Flatiron School was recommended to me for the quality of instruction, and I landed on them due to their online learning option (which allowed me to keep working within design while taking the course). Well, this program has been the most exciting learning experience of my life. The program was challenging, there is no doubt… but learning to think as a software developer, learning to problem solve and create solutions through code should not be an easy task to take on. When it comes to learning, some subjects really resonate with some people, and I have never found a subject that I have thoroughly enjoyed learning as much as this program. As a result, I now have the ability to make so many new things come to life!
This new direction, and eventual career change has opened my eyes to the fast paced, ever evolving world of technology in a new light. I have always been a “life-long learner” at heart, my family always wondering what will be next in my path, but software engineering and development is a career that invites those curious people like me. Not only does it invite “life-long learners”, arguably you will have to become one if you would like to stick around for some time. After building a foundation from the Flatiron School software engineering program, learning and building applications with languages and frameworks such as Ruby, Rails, JS, and React, I realize that there is still so much to learn. But rather than feeling daunted by the task, I am energized. Rather than feeling scared, I feel excited for the challenge, and the opportunities that lay ahead. As I have always told people about design, I love to create things. I love the quick reward feeling of holding something in your hand that you know you made. And through code, that ability to bring new things to life has just expanded tenfold.
Conclusion
So I leave you with this as I begin my journey from being a student to becoming a member in the “real world” of software engineering and development: Be ready, because here I come, ready to collaborate, communicate, problem solve, and showcase successes.
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