Hello and welcome to the first post in my new blog about my journey in the exciting world of computer science! As I begin my final quarter of the Post-baccalaureate Computer Science program at Oregon State University, I find it interesting to look back at how I got here. I earned my first degree back in 2010 while majoring in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing. I ended up working in a number of different Marketing roles, but always found myself drawn more to the technical side of Marketing.

In 2018, I started a role as a website administrator at a regional bank and this role gave me the opportunity to work alongside a group of very talented developers. The longer I worked with this group of developers, the more interested I became in the work they were doing. It amazed me that, as their customer, I was able to give them a wishlist of things I wanted for the website and they were able to just make it happen. I decided that I wanted to learn to program and was immediately hooked. I worked through numerous online courses, but eventually wanted something more formal. This was also right about the time that the pandemic began and I thought, if I was going to be stuck at home for a while, I might as well do something productive.

I started the program at OSU in Fall 2020 and it has been one of the most challenging, yet rewarding experiences I have had. I enjoy learning new things and can honestly say that each class I have taken has been a great learning experience. While working on my previous degree, I always dreaded difficult courses and couldn’t wait for them to end. In this program, however, I have found that some of the most difficult classes were actually my favorites. A perfect example of that is CS261. That was probably the most challenging course in the program for me, yet it was also my favorite. It was difficult and required quite a few late nights, but I didn’t mind because it was something that I found extremely interesting.

While in this program, I have been fortunate to work for a company that has been extremely supportive of my goals (the same bank I have worked at since 2018.) In fact, they were so supportive that in May of this year, I was given the opportunity to move from Marketing to IT to work as a Software Developer. I’m now working alongside those same developers that inspired me to take this journey to begin with. I have learned so much on the job already and have already had the opportunity to use some of the skills I have gained in this program.

As I near the end of my time in this program, I can say without question, the challenge has been worth it. All the weekends and late nights over the last two years have allowed me to pivot my career to something that I enjoy and if I regret anything, it is that I didn’t do this sooner!