I would like to have the opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Donnyves Laroque and I am a student at Oregon State University. This is my last term and I’m excited about moving on to the next stage of my software engineering career.
I earned a bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University and after I graduated, I was an elementary school teacher in Kansas City. I am also a Navy veteran, I served my country proudly for eight years as an Electronics Technician. While I was in the Navy, I earned another bachelor’s degree in information technology from Colorado State University. The only two courses that I enjoyed were my SQL and Visual Basic courses. I wanted to learn more about programming, and I was lucky enough to come across a program called the Microsoft Software and System Academy (MSSA). MSSA is a program for transitioning service members in their last six months of service. After completing the MSSA program, I worked as a software developer for two years for a government contractor.
So, how did I end up as a computer science student at OSU? Well, I had a major case of ‘imposter syndrome’ at my first developer job and I was desperate to make this feeling go away. I wanted to catch up with my fellow coworkers and felt that a computer science degree would be the best way to achieve this goal. I learned immediately that it wasn’t about making up for lost time, but rather excepting that hard work and experience are the only way to improve as a developer. I was never going to catch up with the people at work, but I can improve and learn every day through both my accomplishments and mistakes. I stopped comparing myself to others and started to seek inspiration and wisdom instead.
With the support of my family, I decided to spend my last year dedicating myself to school. I plan on rejoining the workforce soon during this last term or soon after. I’m ready to transition from government to civilian employment in the Greater San Diego area.
Thanks for checking out my blog!
