Growing up I never considered a career in Computer Science. I studied Exercise Physiology for my first degree with the intention of starting in the medical field. After deciding that I wanted to do physical therapy, I spent two years after the first degree getting my prerequisites and volunteer hours set. Afterwards I spent 4 years going through the physical therapy program but it did not work out. I still wanted to do something in healthcare so I got my CNA license and worked as a nursing assistant for 1.5 years. Those 1.5 years of working at a nursing home and then on a med-surg floor in a hospital were tough. I had to do lots of work that nurses didn’t want to do (lots of butt wiping) and often worked in physically compromising positions (ie. lifting or moving patients without help from other staff). Although I enjoyed working with patients I felt like I wasn’t utilizing my mind nor my degree and I was becoming increasingly disillusioned with healthcare. Around the time that COVID hit and the hospital I worked at was being shady with their COVID practices, I decided that I had had enough.
My friends suggested computer science. They said it was a much better quality of life. I decided that I would try self-studying programming. I used many free resources (ie. the Odin Project, freeCodeCamp, CS50, etc) but after a few months or so I felt like I needed structure and an organized curriculum. I took the plunge and applied to OSU. I started in Winter of 2021 and it is now Winter of 2023. It’s been a full 2 years and I am grateful for the opportunities that joining OSU have afforded me. The first summer I was able to secure a remote pre-internship with CodePath where I learned a bit about full-stack development. In Winter I was able to intern remotely with Amazon, where I learned to survive while drowning in a sea of new technology (positive affirmations helped a lot). And this last summer I interned with Workday in Pleasanton, where I learned a bit about data science and working with people in an office. None of these experiences would have been possible without OSU.
So although I never considered Computer Science while I was young, this is the path that I am on now. I am set to return back to Amazon as a new grad in April and hope the economy stays afloat long enough for me to do so. I am grateful for this life change in work environments and quality of life (there is a huge difference between healthcare vs tech). I am also appreciative of the power of learning how to program – it’s made me more inclined to try new things. I’m not sure what project or group I will be assigned but I am confident that I will do my best.
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