Making the Switch...

At the start of my tech career, if you would have told me I'll be in a coding bootcamp in a few years, I would have thought you were crazy. Why? I believed it was extremely out of reach.
Most colleagues, friends, and professionals I know that changed careers in IT, have switched from Software Engineering to Network Engineering. Usually citing plainness, and tediousness of coding as the main reasons for their decision.
I started my career working in Helpdesk support. As the company was small, after a short time, I touched all levels of Networking, from installing apps, to using heat maps, and setting up Networks from the bottom up. I enjoyed the challenge of building out a network from scratch. More than that, when it aligned with what the client needs were(I'm looking at you, bandwidth), that generally made me happy. Source:https://community.fs.com/blog/tcpip-vs-osi-whats-the-difference-between-the-two-models.html

After working in Helpdesk for a few years, I moved into more of a hybrid role, splitting onsite, remote, and managerial work. From here on, I worked with various departments, assisting with NOC, Escalation, and the Solution teams. I think this is where I became interested in programming. It was the only department I didn't directly work with, but collaborated a few times and my interest was piqued.
I also learned a valuable lesson during this period. Why I enjoyed Networking, had nothing to do with Networking, and more so, who I was as a person. As the company grew, I realized the values I held, were no longer applicable.
I did a few free coding courses, (CodeAcademy, Solo learn, among others..) but was very hesitant about taking it a step further. I was comfortable, complacent, and it wasn't a decision I could just make on a whim.
The longer I fretted over this, the unhappier I was. So...I just moved. Once I made that decision, a weight was lifted off my shoulders, and out my pockets, but I was satisfied with my decision.
After a few months into the bootcamp, I believe I made the right decision. Although, this is not easy, by any means, I am moving forward, learning new things everyday. I do agree, some of what I've learned has been tedious as it's been daunting, though this has been the most creative freedom I've had in a long time.