Only a couple more weeks left until I have finished this journey I started 4 years ago.
Back then it felt as if all signs pointed toward having me pursue a different career path.
Once I had the inkling that I wanted to pursue a different career I reached out to friends in family in engineering and computer science positions. After discussions with them I wasn’t clear on what path I would take.
I decided to take a couple of classes at my local community college in introduction to engineering, introduction to computer science, and a couple of math courses to brush up on my math skills. After that summer I realized I wasn’t that interested in pursuing a path in engineering but the experience taking the introduction to computer science was enjoyable. I had fun staying up and working on the assignments in Java.
After a couple months I began investigating whether I should pursue further education through a bootcamp or to go back to my local university. While making the decision I remember the advice provided by one of my professors. When pursuing additional education it is important to get an education from an institution in another region. This is due to the different perspectives that could be provided. Unfortunately I was not in a position to move to a different region at the time. However, when I found out that I could pursue a post-baccalaureate degree from Oregon State I jumped at the opportunity. The following spring after attending my local community college I had begun taking my first couple of courses at OSU.
Since then a lot has happened. When the COVID pandemic began I took a break after a full year of taking courses and working full time. I felt like it was time that I take the plunge and invest my time in focusing on finding my next role. After much trial and error I had obtained my first internship. This internship led to a paid training opportunity and afterwards I obtained my first job as an Application Integration Developer. I have been in my current position for nearly a year now and I am learning something new every day.
