The wonder years
During this decade I learned the basics of using DOS. I installed
games and programs from floppy disk using a CLI. The mid-90's was
when I truly began to explore the web after my family purchased
our very first computer, a Compaq Presario. I got up to speed with
Windows while learning OSX at school using an Apple IIe (that we
all shared.)
Technical Skills
I decided to move to Orlando FL to attend Full Sail University.
The knowledge I gained about the basics of digital design and
audio engineering have continued to be a strong foundation
throughout my life. The fundamentals of audio never change,
although the way we use them continues to evolve. The same rules
apply to the basics of HTML & CSS. My Web Dev journey had
officially begun!
MySpace has entered the chat...
Social media was on the rise during the mid-2000's. You had to
have a seriously good (and tricked out) MySpace page to even think
you were cool in the 00's. Learning how to edit CSS styles to add
animation and color themes to your page was a vital skillset.
Full-Stack Parenting
During this time I was committed to starting a family, raising my
son and growing my career as an audio engineer. I produced &
recorded entire albums of music for myself and others while
working professionally in the live sound industry. My DJ hobby
slowly grew into a full-time career allowing me to perform at
music festivals, nightclubs, and special events for some of the
biggest organizations in the world. I was recruited to work as a
booking agent for one of the most reputable agencies in Florida.
During this time, I spearheaded a re-branding of the company which
included full-stack web development using WordPress and SQL. Time
was flying by until the pandemic changed everything. These
industries were hit hard by the lock-down. I suddenly found myself
with lots of time on my hands, looking for a change... I started
to get back to my roots with computers. With so many options for
learning, where do you even start?
Drinking from the firehose
It was time to go back to school. I started by reading books and
listening to podcasts all about software engineering & computer
science. I didn't know what they were talking about most of the
time but whenever I came to a new term, I would stop to reserach
that topic. (JSON, by the way, is not a reference to the months in
a year.) My plan was working, I decided to design Apps, make games
and create art using code. I put pen to paper creating lots of
layouts for products to develop. I learned the basics of Xcode &
Swift but quickly came to a dead-end. My designs were great but
where do I keep all this data? It was time to learn about the
full-stack!
Autodidacticism
I understood the basics of frontend design while starting to grasp
what was going on behind the scenes. I realized it was time to
take my education to the next level. There's an endless amount of
programs out there offering to take you to the promised land. What
path should I take? After careful consideration I decided the best
path forward was to become a "Full Stack Web Developer." This
would allow me to obtain a job in a growing industry without a CS
degree. I decided that Bootcamps were the best option but which
one?
A New Challenger Approaches...
I was feeling conflicted about which Bootcamp to take. I was
hoping to find something close to home that I could also attend in
person. That's when I found the SCF Coding BootCamp Powered by
Flatiron School. This was PERFECT! I jumped at
the chance to learn about this new program while working hard to
find the resources to join. Everything I've learned so far in life
has prepared me for this moment.
New Horizons
I'm proud of myself for going back to school to change careers.
Now it's time to apply the skills I've acquired to finding my
first job as a Full Stack Web Developer. It's my goal to work for
an established company that challenges me to continue growing as a
software engineer while allowing me to pursue my passion of making
the world a better place with code.
Landing my first role
After many rounds of interviews, take home coding challenges,
calls with hiring managers, CTOs, PMs, Senior Devs, and business
owners I received four job offers! I was able to narrow my
decision down to two companies, ultimately making one of the
toughest decisions of my life.
I’m very happy with the choice I made and excited to
continue growing each day as become a well rounded software
engineer!