Well...here I go..
Tags: beginners, career
Published: 2019-07-01 16:31:46

#The Beginning

A year ago, I started down a journey to become a developer.  When I started, I had no clue what would lie ahead.  I did know that whatever was ahead would require much hard work, perseverance, and a little risk(Oooh...scary).  What I did underestimate is how much I would learn about myself as a person.  With that being said, I am stepping out a little further to write and share my experiences thus far. So please bear with me as this is the first time I have EVER written something for "mass consumption." 

## Some History

I have a B.S. in Electronics Engineering Technology from a tech school.  As soon as I graduated, I was hired into the semiconductor industry and had the opportunity to work for the largest semicon equipment manufacturer in the world, supporting their equipment at an R&D facility.  I spent 10 years doing that as a customer engineer.  It was a fantastic job, and I was successful at it. However, the industry went through a shrinking period and was going to require being on the road a ton more, and for me, I did not want to live out of a suitcase. So I decided to move on and was hired as a technical director for a local church.  This job is where I  rediscovered my love for web development.

When I was a kid, I loved building websites on Geocities and playing with basic HTML so when I had the opportunity to design and build a few static sites for my current employer I jumped at the opportunity.  They were going to outsource this work, but I told them I could learn it and save them a little money.  So I did, and the rest is history.

## The Rest Of The Story

When I started learning, I tried a few methods.  I would have loved to have gone to a boot-camp and being so close to NYC; I had some of the best boot-camps in the world to attend. But I couldn't commit with my time or my finances(Not a fan of debt if I can avoid it). So I decided to give a few of these online self-paced courses a try.  I started with [Udacity](https://www.udacity.com/) but quickly learned it did not fit my style of learning.  So I switched to [Team Treehouse](https://teamtreehouse.com) signing up for their Front End Tech Degree.  It was a little pricey, but I tried out the 7-day free trial and quickly realized the slack community alone was worth the price.  So I jumped in and ran through 6 of the 12 units/projects. At this point, I was committed, but I wanted to learn more JavaScript, so I switched to their Full Stack JavaScript Tech Degree and was hooked. 

During this T.D., I spent so much time in the slack channel  I was selected to be a slack champion to help other students with questions and projects.  This experience was so amazing for me.  Reading others code and also helping people attempt to accomplish the same things I was trying to accomplish was incredibly helpful to my learning and also very fulfilling. I started waking up at 4:30 am to get in my learning before my regular full-time job. Although this was difficult, I was committed to completing this T.D. and making a career out of this work. I completed all 12 of the units, and well now I am here. 

*NOTE: If you made it this far, thanks so much for sticking it out. I'm almost done.*

## Now I Am here

I wanted to start writing for a few reasons.  I wanted to challenge myself, contribute to a community that has already given more to me than I could ever repay, and also get myself out there for work opportunities.  I am going to write more on some things I have learned going through this process but also on technical topics as I teach myself new things.  

Anyway, I hope this wasn't too bad for my first dev.to article.  Thanks so much for your time!  I do appreciate any feedback and recommendations as I write more and look for work without any dev experience.

*Shameless Plug:  If you are reading this and happen to find this article through my [portfolio](https://talleri.co) or resume and have some open opportunities in the Orlando, Florida area.  I might not have as much experience or knowledge as the next guy but I can assure you I am dedicated, passionate and will become a valuable member of the team.*