You quit your job?
I know, it may sound a bit crazy. I had a stable job, I was making great money, there's a global pandemic. Why in the world would I ever quit my job? The reason is, I just wasn't passionate. In fact, I was quite miserable. I knew my heart wasn't in it, and I had to make a change ASAP. So I decided to bet on myself and make a career change, into a completely new field.
Some Background
I never quite knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I really didn't know what options were available to me while I was in high school. So when it came time to go to college I picked the first thing that sounded attractive at the time. I ended up touring a college that had a graphic design program. The combination of their computer lab filled with brand new iMacs, and the fact that I've always enjoyed art, and working with computers it seemed like a natural choice. I spent the next decade doing a combination of freelance graphic design, sales, and bartending, enjoying the freedom most of these roles gave me. Until one day, I realized that I wasn't really passionate about any of these. I even got a steady job as a graphic designer leading a team and having the freedom to dictate the design and branding for the entire company, but something was missing.
I decided to do some research. What careers were really out there? I came across software development, and more specifically web development. I had created websites since I was a kid with basic HTML and CSS. Even after college, I created websites here and there, but I always thought the programming part of web development was for people who were much smarter than me. Even then, I always had a passion for beautiful websites and I loved being able to create something interactive from scratch. I eventually decided to do some more research and I made a commitment to at least trying to learn to code.
For the next few years, I spent almost everyday learning. I brushed up on my HTML and CSS. Now there was something called Flexbox, CSS Grid, and responsive design for mobile. I learned it all, this portion came pretty easily because of my previous experience. Next, I turned to JavaScript. I went through multiple resources and almost gave up several times. I thought I would never quite get it, but finally, I was able to create my first working app (a todo app of course). I was incredibly proud, and it was at that moment I knew for sure this is what I wanted to spend all my time doing.
Where we are now
This brings us to now. After my first app, I invested even more time into learning. I learned about API and the possibilities you can achieve in creating web applications. I started diving into frameworks like React, learning how powerful tools like these were for improving your building process. I was currently working a sales job 9 hours a day, spending my free moments before work and after work trying to learn enough to finally have the confidence to apply for web development jobs.
I realized that I simply did not have time to do what I was passionate about. I was miserable 80% of the day and doing what I loved only when I could squeeze it in. Something had to change. I was fortunate enough to have some money saved, so I decided to quit my job and pour all of my available time into finishing projects and finally getting my portfolio together.
What does the future look like?
Since completing my portfolio I've been applying to jobs and trying to get my resume and portfolio in front of people I would like to work with. I'm also currently spending some time learning backend as well so I can expand my knowledge, and I am supplementing my income with freelance work until I can find a team that will be a great fit. I'm very excited about what the future holds. I am also planning to document my journey as well as simultaneously starting on my own 100 Days Of Code challenge. It's an amazing feeling being able to spend your day learning and working on things that you love. I hope you will continue with me on this journey, and I encourage you to find your own way to follow your dreams as well.
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