Time to begin the last term of this Computer Science degree.

Looking back on the past year and three quarters, it’s surreal how quickly it went by – but simultaneously feels like it took forever.

I attended a coding bootcamp in the fall of 2019. I moved from Osaka, Japan to Chicago, a city I had never even visited before, to attend a coding bootcamp for veterans. I was very fortunate to get a job at my current company as a software engineer within a month of completing the bootcamp. Two months later, the pandemic kicked off and I’ve been working remote ever since.

I knew from the time I decided to learn to code that I would eventually go back to school and get a CS degree. So, when I found myself cooped up in the house all the time, in a city where I didn’t really have an established circle of friends and an end to the pandemic nowhere in sight, I decided it would be the perfect time to go ahead and get started.

It’s been a difficult journey balancing work, school and my sanity but it’s already been incredibly beneficial. I already feel that I’m a much better, well-rounded engineer at work (with tons of room for improvement). It’s also been a huge confidence booster for life in general. It’s been nice to reaffirm that, with good work ethic and determination, I can accomplish pretty much anything.

For anyone that happens to read this, if your journey has been similar to mine, allow me to congratulate you on making it this far. If your journey hasn’t been similar to mine, allow me to congratulate you on making it this far.

I’m very excited to kick this term off. I know it’s going to be challenging but I just need to take it one thing at a time. Besides, the term ends the day before my birthday so I have something very specific to look forward to.