My journey into the world of computer science and software engineering began around the age of nineteen. At the time, I was attending university and was unsure of what I wanted to do. I lacked direction. I hadn’t really chosen a major yet, and no career really captured my interested.

I felt this way until one of my friends mentioned that I should learn how to write code. Intrigued, I took the suggestion and started an HTML and CSS tutorial later that month. I was immediately captivated. My first thought was, “why did I never think to learn how to code?”

I had been using computers all of my life. I grew up playing hours upon hours of computer games in early 2000s (I know, I know…I’m really young still), everything from Windows pinball to CD ROM games, like Need For Speed. But it had literally never occurred to me that there was code working behind the scenes, making these games what they were.

Maybe it was because I’m just not that inquisitive or particularly curious. Maybe it was because the machines that I grew up using were already complex enough that the details of these games were hidden away from me. Or maybe it was just because I grew up around parents who had no clue how computers work (They still don’t!). Who knows? Either way, from the moment I finally did learn how to code, I felt that it was for me.

However, although I was hooked, I didn’t immediately switch my focus to computer science. At the time, I wasn’t all that sure how to put myself in a position to write code for a living. The university I was attending didn’t have a computer science program, so there wasn’t anyone around me who also liked to code. I didn’t know any software engineers or computer scientists, and no one in my immediate family knew anyone either.

So, with my goals in flux, I did what many indecisive nineteen years old do and dropped out of college. I needed to reset and take some time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I thought I would just be taking a gap year and would be back in school before I turned twenty-one. However, as with most things in life, things didn’t go according to plan.

It wasn’t until almost four years later that I finally went back to school, this time enrolling at Oregon State as a computer science major. By this point, I had been working full-time as crew member for a luxury catamaran company. I was accustomed to working outdoors and was almost beginning to think that the dream of becoming a software engineer was long dead. Yet, when I started school again, I immediately recovered the love of code.

I’ve attended Oregon State for the last two years now as an ecampus student. I’ve taken many of core computer science classes, like data structure, analysis of algorithms, and operating systems I. I’ve also taken many of the group project classes, like intro to databases, software engineering I and II, and web development.

Overall, I’ve found these classes to be challenging and worthwhile. I’ve found that the discipline of computer science is full of interesting problems and wildly deep subjects. I’ve spent lots of hours immersed in Python and C code, as well as many hours spent puzzling over discrete math proofs. I’ve gotten to build a few decent portfolio projects and even participate in a hackathon or two.

For all the excitement, however, the process has undoubtedly been difficult. Life as an E-campus student is tough. Like a lot of other adult students, I’ve been working full-time while trying inch my way towards a degree. At times, being an online student can feel a bit lonely, especially when I don’t have as much time to devote to my studies as I wish I did. In the end, though, I’ve felt that the journey has been so worth it. Despite the challenges of an online environment, I’ve been able to make a number of important connections with other classmates and faculty. I’ve been able to learn within a supportive community and have remained encouraged throughout the process.

I’ve also found that the curriculum at OSU has prepared me really well for a start in the software engineering industry. This past summer I was fortunate enough to do my first real software engineering internship at a company called Tanium. Following this, I was then able to land a full-time junior software engineering role this fall, at a company called ARA.

I now enter this term as a full-time software engineer, bringing my original goal into fruition. I started this journey simply by asking the question, “why did I never learn how to code?” Now, six years later, I find myself immersed in code at both my day job and in my OSU coursework.

The moral of my story, then, is that the journey into software engineering is not always linear. It took me nearly nine years total from when I started college just to get here. But, I wouldn’t trade my experiences for a thing. While these nine years have felt long, I remind myself that the journey is just beginning. Ultimately, what is most important is that I go into this term and into my new job excited for lies ahead.