Leaping into the Unknown: My Career Change to Web Development
Tags: webdev, discuss, career, developer
Published: 2023-07-08 10:30:18


## Leaping into the Unknown: My Career Change to Web Development

It was the last day of 2021, I took a leap of faith that would forever change the course of my life. I bid farewell to my stable sales job, embraced uncertainty, and embarked on a path I had always yearned to tread — the path of a software engineer.
>  **“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt**

Back in 2014, during my university days as a telecommunication engineering student, I was introduced to the world of programming. This initial encounter with C++ wasn’t love at first sight, but it left a lingering curiosity. Spending hours sitting behind the computer, meticulously editing metadata of thousands of songs I downloaded online already sounded like debugging to me. However, with the demands of my coursework, finding the right time to dive in seemed elusive.

![Photo by Austin Chan on Unsplash](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/6480/1*KcTXSz_S4AgdXZA9qENAbA@2x.jpeg)

### Discovering Web Development

Destiny nudged me towards web development in 2017. I had the opportunity to serve in a high school where final year students were introduced to web development. It was during this time that I started learning HTML on the fly, and I found myself captivated by the possibilities of the language. I would learn and teach it in class. The more I delved into it, the stronger my interest grew.

### The Sales Job Challenge

But once again. life had other plans, and I found myself taking a sales job at a roofing company. It was a departure from my aspirations, but despite my lack of sales background, I embraced it as another exciting challenge. I’ve always had a growth mindset so, armed with that, and some childhood experience helping at the family stores, I immersed myself in sales books and quickly became a top performer. But a growth mindset can only take you so far. You must love what you do to continue growing. Not to say I hate sales, but I didn’t enjoy it as much after 2 years working at it. As time passed, I couldn’t ignore the lingering question within: Was this truly the path I wanted to pursue long-term?
>  **“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life .” — Confucius**

### Rediscovering Software Engineering

After two years in sales, my inner voice grew louder and I couldn't ignore it anymore. I conducted extensive research, mapping out a personalized road map. I knew it was time to make a pivotal change in my career. It was going to be hard, I knew that but I had saved enough to be able to make this change. So on the last day of 2021, I bid farewell to my stable sales job.

### Taking the Leap

Leaving behind the comfort of a stable sales job was both exhilarating and terrifying. It was a leap of faith into the unknown. It marked the beginning of a new chapter, one filled with challenges and learning opportunities but I knew it was necessary to chase my dreams. With this burning desire to excel, I embarked on this self-taught path, ready to invest my time, energy and savings to acquire the skills needed to become a succesful software engineer.

Fourteen months have passed, and my dedication has yielded remarkable progress. I have immersed myself in the essentials: mastering HTML, CSS and JavaScript in the first year. The first iteration of my plan stated that I should be done in 6 months LOL. But within 4 months, I already knew it was impossible. There’s simply too much to learn. After the first year, in 2023, I was ready to pick up the frameworks. I started working with **Bootstrap**, **TailwindCSS** and **React**. [The Odin Project](https://www.theodinproject.com), [The Mozilla Developer Network](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/), [Free Code Camp](https://www.freecodecamp.org), [W3Schools](https://www.w3schools.com), YouTube, and vibrant tech communities on platforms like Discord, Reddit, and Quora have been invaluable resources on this journey.
>  **“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” — Sam Levenson**

Although I haven’t yet landed my dream job in software engineering, I am filled with hope and optimism. I believe that with perseverance and continuous learning, the right opportunity will come knocking at my door. The passion that drives me is unwavering, and I am excited for what lies ahead. In my next blog post, I’ll delve into the challenges I’ve faced as a self-taught developer, aiming to inspire and offer insights to fellow learners on similar paths.

My journey is a tale of embracing change, following my heart, and taking risks. I’m grateful for the opportunities that have shaped me and the resources that have supported my growth. As I continue to learn, grow, and share my experiences, I am confident that I am on the right path, eagerly anticipating the moment when my dream job becomes a reality.