I am a 37-year-old mother of 2, wife, career paralegal, and future coder.
After spending the last 12 years of my life as a paralegal, I wanted a change of pace. I decided to jump head first into coding because it was something completely out of my comfort zone. I started doing it for fun after my brother and sister, both of whom are software engineers, started showing me a few things and talking to me about how much they love it. Every time I got a chance to do some coding I felt like I had conquered an obstacle. I know I haven’t even scratched the surface of all there is to learn in programming, but there is something so stimulating and gratifying about seeing the world in a whole different way. I took the plunge, and here I am dedicating every hour I can to coding.
I can honestly say that 12 months ago I would have said that coding was not for me. I had preconceived notions of what programming was - a field that really smart people in their 20s with an aptitude for math went in to. Yes, there are really smart people in their 20s with an aptitude for math, but there are also people that are doing this as a second career, people from all walks of life and all different backgrounds, professions, aptitudes and abilities. Admittedly I’m still not sure how it all works (although, I’ve been reassured that the majority of people feel the same when they start out), but I am definitely sure that coding will play a major part of my future.
I am loving the challenge that coding brings every single day (Tic Tac Toe anyone?). I actually look forward to getting on my computer to play around with my new found knowledge. I’ve been coding for a very short period of time, and I don’t entirely know if or how I belong here, but I do know that I am ready to face the highs and lows of coding. Bring it on!!!