I've been thinking about the direction of my career lately. It's something that has been weighing heavily on my mind since I graduated from General Assembly's Web Development Immersive program back in August. As I scoured job postings and applied to many companies, I was overwhelmed by all of the different combinations of skills companies were looking for to fill these positions. They were all unique and different. It was starting to frustrate me as I felt like I was being pulled in so many directions as to which language of framework to learn next.
Last night I had a chat with my husband about it. He is a Senior Wordpress Developer and has been doing this a long time. He was one of those self starters that learned to code on his own and never got a bachelor's degree to prove it. I see his success now and know that it is possible to make it in the Tech industry without that piece of paper and hefty debt that go hand in hand.
He reassured me and suggested that I should just pick a language that I like, learn it well and go from there. "Stop chasing the job postings" he said. I needed to hear that because that was exactly what I was doing. He also urged to me to consider freelancing more. Freelancing does sound like a dream, at least for this point in my life. I could work remotely from home, set my own hours and my earnings would reflect the amount of work I do.
It would also be a great way to get experience and improve my coding skills since the job search hasn't yielded any promising prospects. Except for Pixels 360. I can't explain it but my gut tells me that Ronaldo (the co-founder of Pixels 360) wants to hire me for the Junior Web Developer position he has open. However, he is on vacation until the 30th and probably won't get back to me any time after that to tell me whether he has chosen to extend an offer to me. The drive is long (which is what I didn't want) but I liked the vibe of that company and the people I met thus far. Ronaldo has been completely open and up front with me since the first call we had back in September. When I think about that company I get excited! I know I would be doing more maintenance and support but I think that would be a great place to start for me!
I can't get too excited of course. There is so much uncertainty with that prospect. But freelancing is what I make of it. I do have a pretty sweet office at home. I am so grateful for that! I am also so grateful with how patient and supportive my husband has been about my career shift. I'm a Web Developer now. It's time to make my mark.
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Appreciate the Little Things
It was a cold morning today. The kind of cold that makes you snuggle under the sheets with your loved one even more than usual. My son enjoys snuggle time on days like today. Of course that was short lived as he started to climb out of the bed and drag us to his chilly playroom. With a hot cup of coffee in hand, I spent the day playing pretend with my son as he grabbed plastic food from his toy kitchen and shove the toy phone in my hand. It was my turn to order the pretend pizza. He still laughs every time I say "We will have a large pepperoni pizza please!"
Today I will not worry about the loads of laundry that need to be washed or the dinner I need to prep. I will not worry about the tutorial about PHP sitting on my laptop waiting to be watched. I have chosen to focus on the little things today. Play time with my son, play time with my son, and a little more play time with my son. We will read books and paint the white pumpkin I bought for him. We will play with his Thomas train set and he will instruct me on how to properly puff while pushing the die cast trains on the track: there is a right and wrong way to do it apparently.
The initial slowing down of our day can feel unnerving but if you sit with it for just a little while, the good feelings quickly take over and you wish you had done it sooner. As I painted my side of the pumpkin I looked up at my son and thought "My god you are so much bigger than you were yesterday!" He is no longer the baby we brought home from the hospital that chilly October afternoon. He is a true toddler with lanky legs and his father's expressions.
I will make more of an effort to appreciate the little things. I don't want to make the mistake of looking back and realizing I missed everything that truly mattered.
Today I will not worry about the loads of laundry that need to be washed or the dinner I need to prep. I will not worry about the tutorial about PHP sitting on my laptop waiting to be watched. I have chosen to focus on the little things today. Play time with my son, play time with my son, and a little more play time with my son. We will read books and paint the white pumpkin I bought for him. We will play with his Thomas train set and he will instruct me on how to properly puff while pushing the die cast trains on the track: there is a right and wrong way to do it apparently.
The initial slowing down of our day can feel unnerving but if you sit with it for just a little while, the good feelings quickly take over and you wish you had done it sooner. As I painted my side of the pumpkin I looked up at my son and thought "My god you are so much bigger than you were yesterday!" He is no longer the baby we brought home from the hospital that chilly October afternoon. He is a true toddler with lanky legs and his father's expressions.
I will make more of an effort to appreciate the little things. I don't want to make the mistake of looking back and realizing I missed everything that truly mattered.
Saturday, October 22, 2016
You Have to Start Somewhere
Seth Godin once said that the best way to write, if you plan to write every day, is to write the way that you speak. I think that is a good idea. The man practices what he preaches because if you go to his blog, the posts range in size from one paragraph to several hundred words. The design of his blog is extremely simplistic as well. He definitely writes the thoughts swirling in his mind immediately and posts them. Snippets of knowledge that seem to portray his voice speaking them aloud as you read them.
I like to write. I must like to write a whole lot because the idea of writing constantly nags me. I used to write in high school, for the high school newspaper in fact, but I quit. I won second place in a poetry contest, to which I had no clue I was a contestant. I have started several blogs and many, many journals but every time I start, I stop. I fall into the same trap that I assume many people fall into that wish to write as a habit: I overthink the process of writing. I drone on and on in my mind about how to start, what I will say and how I will say it that I never put pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard.
Especially when it comes to blogging. I love the idea of blogging and the ability to share my voice aching to be heard and connect with someone out there. But then when it comes time to hit that "publish" button I freeze. I can't do it. I'm way too scared to show myself. Sure there is a really good chance that it will never be seen but then again the possibility is always there.
It's the type of vulnerability that I was never ready to embrace. But then the idea of writing pops up again and I yearn for it. As if we always had this lifelong friendship that was torn apart. Maybe there was something that came alive in me all those years ago as I toiled over editing that article for the high school paper. Maybe there was something there, that once planted, grew enough roots to survive in dormancy.
Maybe it is time to stop running...
Stop running from myself. Stop overthinking this. Stop stifling the voice I have within. If no one sees this then so be it. This is for me. I'm doing this for me.
I like to write. I must like to write a whole lot because the idea of writing constantly nags me. I used to write in high school, for the high school newspaper in fact, but I quit. I won second place in a poetry contest, to which I had no clue I was a contestant. I have started several blogs and many, many journals but every time I start, I stop. I fall into the same trap that I assume many people fall into that wish to write as a habit: I overthink the process of writing. I drone on and on in my mind about how to start, what I will say and how I will say it that I never put pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard.
Especially when it comes to blogging. I love the idea of blogging and the ability to share my voice aching to be heard and connect with someone out there. But then when it comes time to hit that "publish" button I freeze. I can't do it. I'm way too scared to show myself. Sure there is a really good chance that it will never be seen but then again the possibility is always there.
It's the type of vulnerability that I was never ready to embrace. But then the idea of writing pops up again and I yearn for it. As if we always had this lifelong friendship that was torn apart. Maybe there was something that came alive in me all those years ago as I toiled over editing that article for the high school paper. Maybe there was something there, that once planted, grew enough roots to survive in dormancy.
Maybe it is time to stop running...
Stop running from myself. Stop overthinking this. Stop stifling the voice I have within. If no one sees this then so be it. This is for me. I'm doing this for me.
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