My Computer Background
Ever since I knew what a computer was, I was obsessed. Video games, games on the internet, videos, Minesweeper, anything you could do on a computer I was a fan of. Whenever anyone in my family had a problem with their computer, they rang me and it made me feel like Bill Gates even though I was just turning it off and on again 😂
Moving forward a few years, my best friend had a PC custom built and naturally, I wanted one! I ordered essentially the same PC that he had. After a while, some of the newer games weren't running as smoothly as I wanted them to so I started investigating how I make mine run better. When the PC was on its last legs, I started taking the PC apart and looking at the different parts inside the case and I was just fascinated with everything!
I saved my money and purchased a new motherboard, a new CPU, some new RAM and a GPU. Put it all together inside the old case and voila! New, shiny, up to date PC and something I could be proud of! Something I'd learned about and built all on my own! I still have that PC today! I have added more RAM and SSD's since then but it's still very usable.
Computer Education
When it came time to select which subjects I wanted to do for my GCSE's, IT was one of my options. However, IT was mainly how to use Word, Excel and Access databases; not exactly the thrill of building my own PC.
On to college! If I'm being honest, I didn't research the courses available at my college and instead I took subjects that I felt comfortable with; one of which was IT. I couldn't tell you what I learned during that first year of college in IT... something about the Computer Misuse Act or something? Maybe? 🤷 Towards the end of my first year, one of my friends that I had played basketball with for a couple of years said that he was taking "Computing"... Wait what?!?! There's ANOTHER computer course? What's that about? I did a bit of research on it and low and behold its how a computer works, its writing code, learning parts of a computer! I immediately spoke to the college and decided to drop IT and take Computing going into my second year. I loved that class! I wasn't the best in my class by far but it was the lesson I looked forward to the most.
Change of Plan
Throughout my GCSE's & A-Levels I always saw myself having a job as a... can you guess?
Did you say "Software Developer"?
If you did, you'd be wrong! I was deadset on becoming a Police Officer! Yep, that's right a Police Office, pretty far from sitting in a basement doing coding. Despite this ambition to join the Police, I chose Computer Systems Engineering to study at university with the hope to join the Police after completing my degree. I had it all planned out. My family had it all planned out.
University - The Biggest Regret of My Life
I got the grades required to get into my first choice of university! Hooray... I should be excited right? I wasn't. I was going to miss my girlfriend. She still had another year of university and she was my best friend. The university I had chosen was on the other side of the country. "Well, why did you choose that university?" I can hear you all asking but it was one of the few computer courses that didn't require an A-Level in Maths. I didn't want to go but my family made it very clear I'd be letting them down if I didn't go.
I moved across the country to university where I basically didn't leave my room, only for lessons and lectures. I didn't interact with anyone, I barely ate anything. I was miserable. My girlfriend came to visit for a week when she was off college and I just wanted to leave university! So that's what I did! I spoke to the university and said I didn't want to be there anymore, they suggested deferring my place for a year so I could return in a year if I wanted to. I had a week or two to pack my stuff and move out of the accommodation whilst they processed my deferral. The relief I felt was UNREAL! A huge weight had been lifted off me. I'd let my family down but I just didn't care, I was just so excited to leave. I was going home... but to do what?
Road To Software Developer
During the time of me moving out of university, I managed to secure an interview for an apprenticeship in Web Development. The apprenticeship was not close to home and was going to be an hours commute on the train. Believe me, paying for trains as well as feeding myself, paying for my car and leisure activities is not an easy feat and I honestly don't know how I managed it. I kept reminding myself that the year's worth of experience would be crucial to getting a job at the end of it, so I persevered.
Did I learn a lot from my apprenticeship? Not really.
Did it help me get a job at the end of it? Definitely! What I had been telling myself the entire year finally paid off! I got a job as a junior web developer at a real company. They actually wanted to pay me, what I considered, a lot of money to do real work for them, to do real problem solving! I couldn't believe it!
Did I learn a lot from my first job? Yes. To this day, I still think I learned more from my first job than from my apprenticeship. There is an awful lot to learn on paper but real world code is not like the textbooks. Luckily, the senior took me under his wing and helped as much as possible and the IT Director made sure I had plenty of "little projects" for him.
Where Am I Now?
So here we are 10+ years later and I'm still coding but now I'm trying to take a whole new path. Freelancing and becoming a content creator for programming. I've been on Twitter for the past couple of months and there are so many people trying to learn to code, asking which path is best. In reality, no two people's journeys are the same. What might work for one person, doesn't work for someone else.
Alls I can say to anyone wanting to learn to code, just do it! Be self-taught. Go on boot camps. Get a degree. Whatever it takes!
For the ones that have already started on their journey and are worrying about finding a job, wondering "Am I ready?". You are ready! Even if you don't meet the job requirements to a T, apply anyway! Practice your soft skills, they go a long way!
If I was to only apply for jobs where I met every single bit of criteria on the job description, I still wouldn't get a job. What's the worst that can happen? They say no? They don't reply? Is that really the end of the world?
Anyway, this is just my story. I can't wait to hear your stories too!