Life has a way of taking you on unexpected detours, doesn’t it?
A few years ago, I was a restless soul—full of ambition but without clear direction.
I bounced from job to job, chasing a spark I couldn’t define. I tried it all in sales, marketing, interior design, and even as a management trainee at HaiDiLao (a famous Chinese Hotpot chain, in case you haven’t heard of it). Each role was a stepping stone, but none felt like home. My wallet stayed thin, my confidence wavered, and yet, deep down, I knew there was something out there I would love doing if I could find it.
Then came a New Year’s Eve countdown party that flipped my world upside down. A chance conversation with an old friend introduced me to coding—a field I’d never considered (I would blame my high school’s computer class teacher for that)—and set me on a path of relentless self-study, late-night debugging, and, ultimately, a career that quadrupled my salary and gave me a sense of purpose I had been craving. This is my story: a messy, inspiring journey from being lost to finding my calling as a software engineer and why coding remains a game-changer, even with AI on the rise.
Buckle up—it’s long, but I promise it's worth the ride.
Ambitious, Lost, and Trying Everything
We all had that self-centric moment when we thought we were the world's center. Growing up, I imagined myself doing something big—something that mattered.
But as I stepped into the working world, that vision blurred. I didn’t have a clear path, so I threw myself into whatever came my way, hoping to stumble into my passion.
First up was a marketing job introduced by my sister. I pictured myself as the smooth-talking closer, sealing deals over coffee. The reality? I was the first marketing guy they had hired. I had my biotechnology degree but didn’t know how to do marketing or sales.
Then came interior design, a curveball even for me. Although it was more like a sales job than designing the house (I had to sell renovation packages to the house owners), both were challenging. I learned much through the job, including more about humanity, communication skills, stress tolerance, etc. It was a great learning experience, but nah, that’s not something I want to do in the long run.
So, I changed again.
I decided not to go through all, but here is the list of jobs that I have tried before my software engineering career, in historical order:
Sales and Marketing Executive
Sales Designer
Management Trainee in HaiDiLao
Sales Rep in a Medical Company
Application Sales Executive
After multiple job switches, I was burned out. Each job left me with scraps of experience—communication, teamwork, grit—but no real progress. My salary hovered at entry level because I kept resetting the clock. Friends were buying cars and planning vacations while I was still scraping by, wondering why I couldn’t find my fit. It wasn’t just about money, though. I wanted to wake up excited, not dreading the day ahead. I was ambitious, yes, but I was also really lost.
Hitting Pause and the Self-Reflection
Jumping from job to job wasn’t working—it was like throwing darts blindfolded and hoping for a bullseye. I needed a new approach. So, I stopped chasing the next thing for the first time and started looking inward.
I grabbed a notebook and got honest with myself.
**_What did I enjoy about those jobs?
What drove me up the wall?_**
I scribbled furiously, dissecting every role. I picked which part of those works that I loved and which I hated the most.
Patterns emerged. I thrived when I could create, solve puzzles, and use my brain hands-on. I also wanted a career with room to grow—something that wouldn’t cap out after a few years.
Technology kept popping into my head. I’d always been fascinated by apps and websites—how did they work?—but I’d never considered it a viable path.
I wasn’t a “tech person,” or so I thought.
One night, I sat on my couch, staring at my notes. “What if there’s something out there that combines all this?” I wondered. “Something challenging, creative, and future-proof?” I didn’t have the answer yet, but I felt a shift.
I was done drifting—I was ready to dig deeper.
The Countdown Party That Counted
Enter New Year’s Eve in 2018, the night that changed everything. A friend invited me to her countdown party, and I almost bailed. I was in a funk, questioning my life choices, and the idea of plastering on a smile felt daunting. But I dragged myself out the door, figuring a change of scenery might shake me loose.
The house was buzzing—music thumping, people laughing, a table piled with snacks. I grabbed a drink and started mingling, half-listening to small talk. Then I spotted a high school buddy I hadn’t seen in ages.
“So, what do you do now?” I asked.
“I’m a software engineer at IBM,” he said.
I blinked. “Wait, you went into computer science? That’s awesome.”
He laughed. “Nah, man. I studied something else. Coding came later—I taught myself.”
I nearly dropped my drink. “Hold up. You didn’t go to school for this? You just… learned it?”
“Yeah,” he said, shrugging like it was no big deal. “It took time, but there’s so much out there—tutorials, courses, forums.”
My brain was racing. “So anyone can do this? Like, become a real software engineer without a degree?”
“If you’re willing to do the work, sure,” he said. “It’s not easy, but it’s doable.”
The countdown started—“Ten, nine, eight…”—and as everyone cheered, I stood there, dazed. Fireworks popped outside, but the real explosion was in my head. I’d always pictured coders as math geniuses with fancy degrees, not regular guys like him—or me. But if he could do it, why couldn’t I?
“Happy New Year!” the room shouted. For me, it wasn’t just a new year—it was a new beginning.
The Grind of Determination: From Novice to Ninja
On January 1st, I woke up with a fire in my belly. I didn’t know much about coding, but I knew I wanted in. I hopped on Udemy and bought a web development course for beginners for $14.90 (discounted from $199.90; as you know, Udemy is on sale for 350 days a year). In that first lesson, I wrote my first line of code. It was basic, but seeing it work felt like magic. I was hooked.
After tackling the web developer boot camp (I spent a month completing that and faced countless issues), I moved on to picking up the React frontend framework (okay, library) and finally saw myself building some real stuff.
I then studied Git, databases, UNIX commands, and some basic networking concepts.
The schedule was brutal. I’d work my day job, come home, and code from 8 p.m. to midnight. Weekends? All coding, all the time—10 a.m. to 2 a.m., fueled by coffee and determination.
My social life shrank, but I didn’t care. This felt different. It was hard, sure, but it was my hard—progress I could measure in every line I wrote.
Challenges piled up. I’d spend hours on a bug—a missing colon, a dumb typo—cursing my screen until I fixed it. Those victories, though? Pure adrenaline. I remember my first real project: a web app that pulled all the campsites by region with search functionality. If you have taken the web development bootcamp from Colt Steele, you will know what I mean. Highly recommended course.
Five months in, I had a portfolio—small apps and a GitHub page. I applied to a couple of jobs, succeeded with my first on-site interview—and got the offer right after the interview. Shoutout to Justin, still a friend that I hang out with now, who taught me a lot and gave me the opportunity to start my software engineering journey.
The Transformation: A New Life in Full Color
Fast-forward to the present. My current salary is four times what I made before entering software engineering.
Four. Times.
Money stress faded, replaced by a strange new feeling: security.
But the real magic wasn’t the cash—it was the work. Coding clicked with me in a way nothing else had. I’d debug a tricky issue or ship a feature and feel satisfied. The job stretched my brain daily. I was learning, growing, and loving every minute (almost).
Coding didn’t just change my bank account; it rewrote my story.
The Big Question: Is Coding Still Worth It with AI?
Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: AI. Tools like ChatGPT can write code, fix bugs, and even design apps. I wrote an article about “Lovable,” an AI agent that helps you build an app with just prompt input.
Exploring How Lovable Can Empower Product Builders
So why bother learning to code? Is it a dying skill?
Not a chance. AI is a tool, but not here to takeover.
The future? Coders who embrace AI will thrive, blending tech smarts with human insight. The basics—algorithms, data flow, problem-solving—will stay golden.
I’ve got more to say about how software engineering is evolving, not vanishing, so watch for my next article. I will first drop my conclusion here:
There will be more software engineering jobs in the future, but they will look different from the current ones.
Reflections and a Nudge
Looking back, I see every stumble as a setup. The dead-end jobs, the sleepless nights, the countdown party—they weren’t random. Life was nudging me toward coding, even when I couldn’t see it. I’m grateful for the mess—it made the triumph sweeter.
Who knows, I might be bored by the software engineering career in the next few years. But I am not worrying at all. I am still exploring myself and discovering how I evolve along my journey.
If you’re stuck, lost, or itching for more, hear me: your path’s out there. Maybe it’s coding or something else, but don’t stop looking. Reflect. Experiment. Push through the hard parts. You will be rewarded handsomely.
Cheers.
Top comments (2)
Inspirational 👏
You just inspired me bro