If you’d told me a few years ago that I would soon become a software developer, and with an actual degree no less, I would have laughed. I’m not the kid who grew up loving video games, tinkering with technology, taking apart computers and trying to MacGyver together some scrappy engineering project in their teens. As a kid I played dress-up, made fairy houses, and read books. I made a lot of art and for some time I thought I’d do that, as a career. Then I went to college and got majorly distracted by English Lit, Medieval Studies, and Philosophy. Got myself a BS in Liberal Studies, which was great for Jeopardy watching and not much else. There was really not a sprinkle of computer science in my life. And then, after arriving in my late twenties without any career path I was excited about, I finally gave a real thought to what I wanted to do. It so happened that of all things, most of the fundamental qualities I was looking for in a job were fulfilled by programming. Progressive challenge, logic, problem-solving. It had never occurred to me to consider it. I started the OSU Online CS Post-Bacc program soon after, and now here we are: my final term.
I never spent a lot of time or effort communicating with other students during these past two years, for better or worse, meaning grades are my primary barometer to evaluate my ability. By this metric I’ve done just fine, but the nagging doubt certainly creeps in here and there. Other times I’m absolutely amazed at what I’ve learned. Casually (well, casually might be a bit of a stretch, lol) writing my own shell in C, or picking up an entirely new framework (or, enough of it anyway) in a couple weeks! I’m self-conscious that I’m still not the stereotypical tech person. I don’t have Twitter, nor do I want one. I’m not spending my free time working on personal development projects. I still don’t have much interest in taking apart a computer. But that doesn’t make me a less effective developer. It doesn’t mean I’m not serious about computer science. In fact, having different skills and different interests makes me stronger in some ways.
For me, starting this term means the safety of academia is soon ending, and the time has come to own my new role. I’m ready.
