Let it begin......
I recently read an article by James Hickey where he spoke of those of us wishing to break into industry and how to brand ourselves when switching into software.
Needless to say that after reading several more article's that James has written, I was absolutely inspired.
The beginning.....
I have always "coded" to some degree, here and there. Tinkering, breaking, making, building, designing and problem solving my way through technical intricacies in every hobby and job that I endeavored. I had too many hobbies. That's not to say I succeeded in each attempt/project, but I certainly never gave up. Ham radio, circuit/tube amp building, home brewing, coding, etc. I was involved. My hobbies were fruitful and meaningful, but my "careers" always fell short of providing me such sustenence. I always performed my work with serious intent, in the best interest of my employer, regardless.
I started getting serious about programming four years ago, tinkering with the infamous Raspberry Pi and always having to expertly define google searches to find "work arounds" in whatever Linux distro I was tinkering in. I had decided to take my adventure to my local community college where I started an AAS in Software Development. There I tasted the sweetness of C++ and fell in love.
Where I am at....
Having caught the programming bug, I delved deep. I started supplementing my free time with youtube tutorials and every library book and internet resource I could find. A bit too involved? I had completed 2 semesters of community college before my Wife's career took us to North Carolina. Our time there was limited due to Hurricane Florence. Due to the hurricane damage, we were relocated to Memphis, TN.
I am currently attempting to transfer credits to the local community college here, where the program is eerily similar to Dayton, OH. I am also enrolled and attending the first Launch Code in Memphis. I continue to follow tutorials, follow developers posts, read books, utilize tutorial websites, language documentation, anything I can get my hands on.
Where I wish to go...
I recently completed another project. To date, it was more intricate than the last, utilizing a GUI and more advanced techniques than before in a recently learned language! This made me feel invincible. This made me feel like I could actually have a career as a developer, which I whole heartedly desire. How do I get there from here? I have no formal training, certifications or industry experience. Have you ever read a job posting for any developer position??? Those ads alone are enough to inject a healthy dose of imposter syndrome.
We recently started module 2 at Launch Code. It is taking forever to me. The program is great. My instructor, James Quick, better known as Professor Quick, is great. The TA's are great. My classmate's give me imposter syndrome a bit, but they are great too. Everything is good in the Launch Code world, but I am getting anxious. Maybe it's that milestone in personal project development, but I feel that I am ready now. I feel I can fake it until I make it. My Python-Fu is strong, My C++-Fu is strong, My Git-Fu is strong, My Problem-Solving-Fu is strong. Then again, my Imposter Syndrome is strong too. Maybe I am not ready?
I wish to go into software development whole heartedly. I know in my heart that being a developer is where I need to be. I feel every ounce of it in my soul. It's so strong that I am literally starting to see the world around me as data, and the code that operates on it. Weird, I know.
I am anticipating documenting my journey up to and through becoming as developer on my Dev.to account. Perhaps the chain of inspiration stay's strong and I can influence someone just like James Hickey did for me.
I am open to suggestions, notes, projects, collaboration, words of wisdom, words of hate(if it makes you feel better), anything.
Hit me up on the following:
Twitter
GitHub
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