HELLO INTERNET HUMANS!
First, you should know that I don’t know shit about JavaScript. Think of me as young Hercules (of the Disney variety), thin and weak. Except it’s my mind that’s weak.
It’s been nearly five years since I graduated from college with a graphic design degree and entered the workforce. I was lucky enough to land a job right out of college and have been following that career ever since. While my career has been extremely gratifying, I always felt that perhaps I hadn’t chosen the exact right degree. I was lucky enough to be fully employed and my career never really lulled long enough for me to seriously consider additional education. Over the years I’ve watched from the sidelines as computer science blossomed and the love affair between business and programmers solidified. I’ve always known I would jump in, I just never knew when.
Enter Hawaii
In August I left the comfort of my mother, Seattle, and headed out west. With my head full of dreams of sand and sun. However, like many that came before me, I came to understand the harsh reality of the Hawaiian economy.
In order to make a salary comparable to what I was making in Seattle, I would need at least two “good” full time jobs in Hawaii. Being completely inadequate at being more than one person or going without sleep, I began to consider a career change.
Being of the “lazy” millennial generation, the skin sack I inhabit comes with fun extras like entitlement and student loan debt. Though I have been making regular payments into my student loans since college, I’ve bitterly accepted that my debt will continue to hover around $40k until I die. While I’ve come to peace with these terms, it does prevent me from pursuing a number of things I would otherwise consider, such as home ownership or additional education.
Me and Hawaii entered into a stalemate. All I’ve ever dared to want is a job that I enjoy and to be able to “add guac” without checking my bank account first, but it felt like Hawaii was rejecting me. My current skills don’t exactly align with the design culture here nor do they align with the tech culture. Going back to school would exclude me from the workforce for longer than I would like (like… for years longer), as well as substantially increase my total student loan debt.
Me + my debt + my career + Honolulu = Stalemate.
Enter DevLeague
Like many frustrated and forgotten, but determined, drones that came before me, I have been rescued and found comfort under the wings of DevLeague. I’ve taken refuge in their marketing department, pitching in as a resident designer. Like Hercules’ trainer Philoctetes (still Disney version), they’ve taken me in as well as offered to help me grow. Starting next month, on June 4th, I’ll begin my training by participating in the JavaScript Web Engineer course. In this blog series, Building a Legend, I’ll be sharing my experiences through this journey.
Like all good plans, I’m sure this one will deviate or grow in some unexpected ways, and I plan to leave some room for it to grow in it’s own directions. I’m going to let this journey take me wherever it leads. So, hello internet humans and goodbye real humans. You’ll be able find me here every week, breakdowns, breakthroughs, and all.
See you next Monday for DevLeague VS. Traditional Education,
Jamie
IF YOU’D LIKE TO JOIN ME ON MY JOURNEY APPLY TO ONE OF OUR UPCOMING COURSES:
Javascript Bootcamp Prep
May | Course dates: 5/1-5/25 | Application deadline: 4/26
Cyber Bootcamp Prep
May | Course dates: 5/8-5/31 | Application deadline: 5/4
Javascript Bootcamp
June | Part-time | Course dates: 6/4 – 12/29 | Application deadline: 5/21
June | Full-time| Course dates: 6/4 – 9/22 | Application deadline: 5/21