Hello and welcome to my blog! My name is Jared Dargan and I am writing this blog to document my journey through my capstone course at Oregon State University. I started the post-baccalaureate computer science program a few years ago, taking one class per term while working fulltime as a social worker. Today, I can say that I see that finish line and I am ready to race across it.
I have worked primarily with children in foster care for almost 7 years, most recently having the job to match children and families. The work can be difficult, and it is rewarding, but I felt a need for a career change, and one day I realized I should jump into this field of software development.
I have always had an interest in technology growing up, from playing minesweeper and solitaire to learning how computers work and building PCs out of curiosity. One of the more recent moments I realized I should explore this field was when my agency decided to start using a new software to help manage the growing number of children and families in our system of care, and match children with families based on a number of factors. Unfortunately, it was built without consulting my team, the team that would be using it the most, and what was delivered left something to be desired. That day I thought to myself, I would like to know how this application was built, and I would like to create something better one day. That was also the day I realized I wanted to make software that made a difference for others. There are a number of hardworking professionals that do not have adequate software tools to use, which ultimately makes their work harder than it needs to be.
I look forward to sharing about the end of this journey and hopefully the beginning of the next journey in this new exciting field.
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