During a period in which I was more preoccupied with melodrama and scribbling angsty song lyrics on my binder than paying attention in class, social media had just established its grip on society and the allure of having a Myspace was undeniable. With its Top 8, music integration, and the enigmatic Tom, Myspace was fresh, addicting, and eventually became my gateway to writing code. I remember spending endless nights alone in my dark room, basking in the luminescence of my computer screen, dabbling in rudimentary HTML/CSS. Dedicated to customizing my profile, I searched hex color codes and how to remove hardcoded URLs for “Customizable Layouts Here.” More than a decade later, Myspace is no longer part of my life, but the impact it left is integral to my decision in studying software engineering.
As I got older, I pursued other things and graduated with a degree in English/creative writing, but I never forgot about my amateur HMTL/CSS days. They always remained a fond memory. After graduating I drifted from job to job, never fully committed and unsure of my place within the working world.
Fast forward to now: With the pandemic, I’ve had a lot of time to think - about what I was interested in, what my skills catered to, and where I wanted to be. I squandered a lot of that time feeling lost, but then I remembered my old Myspace days, where I tinkered with code to customize my profile to be the best representation of my teenage self. Nostalgia.
Finally, it all made sense. With a background in creative writing, I love to write and create/build things, watching it develop and grow. In addition, I’m already familiar with language and syntax, and what is code but another language. As someone creative, learning how to code would be another way to channel and develop my creativity. Lastly, to be entirely honest, software engineering is both viable and lucrative. In these weird, uncertain times, security has become a priory of mine, something I need to feel comfortable.
However, fear and trepidation held me back. Even today, tech is still homogenous/not very diversified. Furthermore, without a technical background, what would I truly have to offer? But it’s a new year, which also means a new me and a new state of mind I’ve recently adopted is - Just do it, (like Nike). So why study software engineering? Why not.
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