My Journey Into Flatiron School
My Introduction
Every three years I had a new home, new friends, and a new school. I loved it, I thrived. Despite always starting a new school in the middle of the year, I made it on the honor roll regularly. Being a great student was definitely a huge aspect of my life, one of the ways I identified myself. All this changed once I got to college, however. Pretty early on I struggled with all my classes, I wasn’t understanding what the professors were saying, I realized I didn't even know how to study, I didn’t get what I was reading, and I was sinking fast. I went from Pre-Med to majoring in a field that I liked as a hobby, but not enough to have a career in. I felt like I was grasping at straws, and instead of taking a step back (whether in the form of me taking a semester off or an advisor helping me with the skills to figure out what I wanted) I instead stumbled through a grueling 4+ year college ordeal. Ten years later I found myself at Flatiron School.
How Did I Even Begin Thinking About Coding?
After I graduated I found myself at a loss since I knew that I wasn’t going to use my Photography degree for anything. I fell into a cycle of doing odd jobs that I was good at but had no interest in. In late 2018, desperate to not be ‘failing’ at life, I made a major life change and moved to Minnesota in pursuit of a ‘grown-up’ job. I didn’t care about finances at all, but I was tired of feeling like a loser. Although it didn’t feel like it at the time, fortunately, due to the government shut down and the hiring freeze I had to look at other options. It was then while job searching, I came across a company that took people from all backgrounds and at the end of the course would hire you as a Software Developer. This opportunity didn't work out, but it did spark a deep interest that I’ve been diving deeper into ever since. Within that short period of time, I have gone to two different boot camps(Flatiron being my second), taken multiple online classes, and have spent countless hours on good ol’ YouTube.
‘Why’ Flatiron?
I ended up choosing Flatiron for many reasons, but the main one has to be the job guarantee. I was really intrigued by how there is a whole Career Services department dedicated to helping students secure employment. I also liked how there was a program in place for students to defer paying the tuition until after they found a job. Imposter Syndrome is real, past feelings of not being good enough or belonging are a constant thing. I am slowly learning that I do belong here, I have proven myself, and I am good enough. I did the Bootcamp Prep, the Prework, I even passed the Technical Interview a feat I’ve never experienced before, I have accomplished so much it’s been such a mind-boggling journey.
Although these past few weeks have been far from easy, my enthusiasm for tech has continued to flourish. The reason being my ‘why’; my parents are unquestionably my motivation. Spoiler guys…I have the best-est parents in the whole universe! My parents have always supported and cheered me on, they never let me sit in my self-doubt for long and always reminded me of younger Ange and her ambitions. I want to show my appreciation and retire my parents, send them on a vacation, build them a house, or buy them a zoo lol — who knows, whatever they want. Furthermore, I want to finally start living the life I’ve always envisioned for myself. From a young age, I’ve always hated the idea of a 9–5, sitting behind a desk, enduring the same dull day repeatedly. I want to be able to travel the world, see new places while at the same time being able to provide for myself and my loved ones. My dream is to create many new products that will help millions. I would like to make an impact in some way. As I continue with Flatiron’s Software Engineering course I look forward to the new me that’s on the other side.