Math and science have always been passions of mine. It is important to me to have a career in a field that I am interested in, is challenging, and is always is expanding my knowledge. I received my undergraduate degree in chemistry because I love learning about chemistry. All of my jobs since graduating have been in a laboratory setting, initially for the food industry and then for a water treatment facility to clean up oil and gas wastewater for reuse and recycle.
Working in a lab ended up being something I did not enjoy as much as I had anticipated. Each of my laboratory jobs utilized only a specific set of chemistry skills that were applicable for the products of that company. Therefore, my everyday work tasks were the same over and over again. Once I mastered the skills for the lab I found myself becoming bored with the day to day. The lab jobs were also in environments that were not comfortable. This ranged from finely powdered food products all over my work clothes to being exposed to poisonous gases in the water treatment plant.
I now have the experience to know more about what I want for my desired career. I want a job that is challenging, always presents new problems to fix and learn about, and facilitates lifelong learning . I want a job that is safe and does not expose my body to harsh work environments or unsafe situations. I want stay within the STEM fields that I have a passion for.
Coding is a useful skill to know whether or not it is a career path. I started learning code in my spare time for fun before I decided I wanted to pursue it as a career. When I am solving a coding puzzle or expanding my knowledge on the subject, I often find myself achieving Flow. When you achieve flow you are so focused on your task that the time seems to go by very fast and everything other than what you’re doing fades into the background. When I solve the puzzle I was focused on and snap out of flow, I feel productive and proud and all around really great. I am happy to have found something that I enjoy and challenges me, and that is why I have decided to pursue changing my career to software engineering.