What I’ve Learned So Far As a #CodeNewbie 🤓

I was first introduced to the career field of technology during a study abroad program, right before the onset of the pandemic. Over the course of the program, I learned a bit of Python and found coding to be like a fun game of problem solving in your own way using a set of rules. I really enjoyed it, but snapped right back into a sense of “reality” when I returned home to my last semester of college, where I was set to graduate with a degree in public health. The path I was on, which was heading towards a career in the nonprofit world, looked totally different from the one I’m on today, and recent progression in my frontend coding skills has made that abundantly clear. Learning JavaScript last week felt somewhat nostalgic, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on the reason why until an exercise on Intro to G{Code}’s homework assignment reminded me of my study abroad program. I felt joy in working out the problems I was given because it reminds me of my innate creative nature and that I can come to the same solution through many different ways rather than being confined to rigid structure. It’s all about testing things out through trial and error and in some odd way, that really satisfies me. Perhaps it also has to do with the excitement of learning a new skill. Some days, I can’t believe I’m really transitioning into tech because up until a few months ago, I would have never envisioned that for myself. If someone were to ask me what frontend, backend, and full stack development were before starting G{Code}, I’d have no real answer for them because up until recently, these were just phrases I had skimmed over or heard in passing. I had no clue what vast career opportunities lie in tech outside of coding either. I’ve learned so many valuable, foundational coding skills already and the program has just begun. Though I wish I had gotten the exposure earlier in life, I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to forge my own path ahead of me with the abundance of resources available at my fingertips. Can’t wait to see where this takes me!