For anyone that is thinking of going boldly in an uncharted direction.
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Contemplations of 2025 & Recap
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Web Development
My 2025 started off being fresh out of a fast-paced web developer apprenticeship. Armed with a preliminary understanding of full stack web app development, I felt that anything was possible. I continued to work on my app, goVend. An app that connects vendors to events.
I continued exploring:
- Ruby on Rails
- CSS
- Javascript
- AWS
- Google Cloud
I began exploring:
- IT Support
- Node.js
- Scraping
- n8n
- GraphQL
- SQL
- AI
- Cloud servers
Combining prior knowledge with new knowledge, learning quickly becomes exponential.
IT Support
I continued learning and collecting certificates throughout the year. Shortly before spring, I completed the Google IT Support Certificate where I found learning about packet composition and transportation at the network layer particularly fascinating. Here is my Dev post about the TCP Header: Networking: TCP Header Explained
I found networking so interesting that I reconfigured my home network, splitting from a modem/router to a more interesting modem and router situation (separate devices) updating to the latest security standards.
With a basic understanding of network communication, suddenly everything became much more interesting. My thinking swung back and forth from “I really want to play with CSS all day and be a remote developer” to “I can fix things! I want to play with devices! OOO SPARKLEY!!!” – a massive problem for focusing energy. Is this a common problem among my peers here?
Employment
I had a tiny proud moment when I completed my Google IT Support Certificate. It was about two months after I completed my web developer apprenticeship that a teaching assistant position became available at the University of Chicago. Excited at the opportunity, (and perhaps slightly terrified) I ran to it. I have absolutely no regrets. Helping students navigate their learning of web development with Ruby on Rails helped me also solidify my own comfort level with Rails as well. A bittersweet end came after two terms of teaching, as the program dynamics evolved.
I had been applying for places before the teaching assistant position ended, since it was predictable. Everywhere I turned, it felt like my skills fell short every time. So then how does one move forward? It didn’t stop me from applying places. After feeling defeated and sad in my job search efforts, I considered the 2025 landscape and the new dynamics of online applications.
This included:
- Having an awareness of AI and results filtering.
- Fighting against robots to get my resume through the filters.
- Catering each and every application resume and cover letter to be as close as possible to the job description.
- Having the actual references to back up your claims.
- Built a structured approach with rudimentary record keeping. (notepad ftw)
Kinda feel like the real test here is if you are knowledgeable enough to get your resume past AI, showing your abilities to handle current technologies. XD
Fighting fire with fire!
I started refining my resume and cover letter to the exact job I was applying for. I ran my resume, cover letter, along with the job description through AI to easily craft customizations that were best fit and still aligned with my skills. After each run through AI, I then tweaked it to sound more like me and for accuracy. AI uses overly refined lingo in my opinion -- and lots of other -- choice things.
Using AI saved me a lot of mental exhaustion. AI helped me highlight keywords so that I may not be filtered out by bots. Every time I applied somewhere, I recorded the date, name, and job description. This way, If I received contact, I could easily pick out which one this was in reference to so I didn’t sound like a buffoon. The last thing you want is to have submitted so many applications, that you don’t even remember where you applied and who is calling you.
Within a week of using my newly refined application approach, I received contact from IBM. I was invited to complete a coding challenge. Even though I may have failed the hieroglyphic sorting algorithm (I refuse to cheat!) it proved one thing: My brass knuckle approach to fighting resume filtering was working! I also learned another important lesson: without the use of documentation my basic coding skills were massively lacking.
Experience
My inadequate hard skills made me feel so small I felt invisible again. I was really needing any kind of employment. So, accepting defeat, I started to lean into my IT support. I talked myself into it, “I liked learning about networking and packets…” and “knowing IT support will make me a stronger web developer in the future.” I ferociously went on a hunt for a tech support position. I turned down a Geek Squad position to work for lesser pay at a small local IT company, knowing that the experience gained would be worth more than the pay at a large corporation.
I would make the argument that there are not many web developer females that have stood on ladders at construction sites installing network cabling, security cameras, and access points. Want some comedy? My first experience at a construction site was wearing a pink shirt and wedges atop a ladder with a drill in the ceiling.
I can’t tell you how amusing it probably was to some onlookers. This experience was followed quickly by purchasing a pair of solid workboots. After scouring the internet for a pair of workboots I didn’t hate, I landed on some black and yellow carbon fiber wolverines. I can say that I like them very much after wearing them a few months. They can be found Here.
In the months that followed, I learned IT helpdesk support, hands on device troubleshooting, and network installation basics. It was very satisfying to put into practice the things that I had been reading about in my 1800-page CompTIA A+ book. And yes, I also got through that book this year and have been studying for the exam on the side, doing practice tests and such.
Several months in, I realized there was no full time work for me available. Paired with no benefits and other external factors, I was on the brink of burnout. I started searching for a new role.
The Present
I am so excited to have been offered a position at a local school, where I will be a tech support associate. A big upgrade to full time with benefits included. I am very excited to be given a chance to work in a learning environment with other like minded individuals. There is potential for working on coding projects at this new position, which I would happily run towards at the speed of sound. The satisfaction of making sh*t work has no bounds.
Moving Forward
Let's roll back to spring 2025. After poking around at some certificates, I began to feel like I needed something that would bear a massive amount of weight from an experience standpoint. I entered an online master’s in IT program with University of the People. I completed two master's classes with flying colors, database management systems and organizational theory. But I was unsatisfied even after getting an A in both classes. I wanted the nitty-gritty rough and tumbly 0’s and 1’s. I made the conscious decision to step back from a masters in IT to a bachelors in computer science. (For those of you wondering, I already have a bachelors in science, nutrition.) I believe it was the right decision.
As I continue to work in IT support, I will be quietly pursuing my goal of being a creative software engineer/web developer. I feel it will only be a matter of time before the opportunity I am looking for rears its elusive head. Meanwhile I arm myself with a plethora of certificates, education, personal projects, and work experiences.
The lesson of 2025 is to be fiercer than the forces that surround you. To accept defeat not as some sort of incapable loser, but as an enlightening experience. Where do champions come from? The champion is champion because of the 1,000 battles worth of experience. Not because of some fanciful wave of the AI wand, or because of a single win. It is imperative to roll in the mud and do the uncomfortable things if you are to grow. Hold your tiny dream inside your heart and don’t let anyone take it.
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