There’s not one simple answer as to why I chose to pursue software engineering . It’s something that’s been in the back of my mind for some time, and certain instances recently have pushed me to enroll in Flatiron School. I graduated in 2014 with a degree in Chemistry and have been working in the chemical field ever since. Initially, I was excited to start my career in this field — it seemed so interesting and exciting. As the years passed, I began to become disheartened about how far my career could progress solely with a bachelors degree. I thought about pursing higher education, but the tuition and expenses scared me. Also, nothing is guaranteed even if you do finish your masters or PhD.
One of my college friends (also a chemistry major) did a coding boot camp back in 2018. I remember her journey and how rewarded she felt. This is when the seed was planted — I wanted to see what coding was about. One of my first exposures to coding was writing a macro using VBA to simplify the data output for one of our instruments. It was tough. I didn’t understand the importance of writing code that “didn’t work” — the trial and error aspect of it. When I finally got the macro running properly, I felt incredibly accomplished. Soon after this, I started the free boot camp prep program for software engineering and I absolutely loved it. I loved the combination of creativity and logic. I especially loved the idea of creating things myself. Most of all, it was something I felt proud of and that was enough of a reason for me.
