Why did I decide to study Software Engineering?
By: Tammarra Mcphaul
Tags: Codingbootcamp, Software Engineering, Coding, Life Change, Technology

Where do I begin? I guess I should start with a few tidbits about me that got me to this point.

If I think back far enough, my first experience with technology was with my Dad’s Atari game console. Back then, the graphics were elementary compared to what they are now. It was pretty cool but it was the pre-cursor to what I was going to experience through my adolescence. My Dad got a computer for me and my sister when I was in the eighth grade (maybe seventh). This computer had NOTHING on it except some old game. No internet, no word processor…NOTHING. I still had to use a typewriter to type up any essays I had to do for school.

My Mom ended up buying a new HP desktop for us by the time I was in the ninth grade. Life as we know it changed as I was introduced to the internet. Everyone remembers that old dial up connection LOL. That loud noice. You could only use the internet or the phone one at a time. I was obsessed! The first thing I did when I got home from school was log into AOL. The internet was (and still is) a wild place. I was able to connect with my friends via instant messenger, surf the web via Ask Jeeves, and play games. Life was great.

Photo by Alex Geerts on Unsplash

My first introduction to coding was Myspace. Yes THE Myspace. I was late to the MySpace party. All of my friends and classmates in high school already had their own pages. They all had the cool graphics and images. Music playing in the background. And I thought “this is pretty nifty and I want in.” So , I signed up for an account and started my coding journey. I had no clue about what I was doing. After my web searches and failed attempts, I gave up. My page did not have the pizzaz I was looking for.

Photo by Joshua Rawson-Harris on Unsplash

Fast forwarding through life…I went to undergraduate and graduate college for Athletic Training/Exercise Science. I worked as an Athletic Trainer for a few years but life hit me and I had to do some soul searching. My career was not fulfilling me the way I thought it would. When I thought about what I wanted to do, all I could think about was tech. The interest in technology has always been there but I never thought I was fit for it or even had the opportunity to do it. My thought process was “my path was already chosen and I have to stick with it” because if I didn’t, that was failure to me. Realizing my life was MY life and I can do whatever I want led me here. Led me to take that leap. It took me a while to get to this point, but I’m here.

I want to study software engineering because I want to challenge myself and turn this into my next chapter in life. A career I can be proud of. A career that is flexible. A career that is fulfilling in all of its aspects. Plus, technology is pretty cool. Web development. App development. This is what I want.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Technology is all around us and continuously growing. Every industry uses technology in some form so the opportunities are endless. These new skills will open new doors that I didn’t think were there for me. I’m proud I’ve made these steps to get to this point. Excitement is an understatement! LET’S DO THIS!!!