Why learn software engineering? It’s a Google-ready question that pops up dozens of blog posts, listicles (list + articles, ‘cause portmanteaus are cool and no one can tell me otherwise), and school websites giving all kinds of compelling reasons…
- Strong job outlook with projected growth of 21% from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average 5%
- Excellent median pay (just over 6 figures) and good starting pay for entry level positions
- Remote work is often an option, and who doesn’t want to picture themselves calling into a meeting from a beach??
- The field is broad: from start-ups to commercial giants, schools to B-corporations, healthcare to creative institutions, you can find work in a place that suits you
- The work is creative, project-based, collaborative, and centered on problem solving—all attractive qualities to many workers
But why did I, personally decide to study software engineering? I’m a career changer coming from the museum and nonprofit world. I went into museum work for a number of reasons. Working for an organization that is mission-driven and doing good for their community and the world at large is important to me. Life-long learning was an important part of my childhood and continues to influence me as an adult, so working in environments that promote curiosity, discovery, and learning fits like a glove. I like the culture and atmosphere of museums and the people that they attract. Plus it just sounds cool to say you work at museum.
I found my work rewarding, but something wasn’t quite clicking. Over the years, I’ve often felt stuck and as though my work wasn’t directly contributing to the mission and change that drove my interest in that work. I came to realize that as a creative individual, problem solver, and “big picture” thinker, I wanted to shift to a career that would allow me to make something tangible, solve problems that have a definitive finish line, and still be doing work that contributes to the greater good.
I talked with friends and family about my thoughts on career change and the idea of coding kept coming up. I had never thought of going into computer sciences and initially dismissed the idea, thinking I was too old to learn something so completely foreign to me. But as I spoke to some friends who work in software engineering and data management, I got a better understanding of the nature of their work: it was logic, language and syntax—all topics I excel at and truly enjoy working with! And the values of making something meaningful and continued learning that I loved from my museum career were reflected in their work cultures, as well. Could this be it, my new career path? I dug deeper and researched the prospects in this field, and found it was reported as being very friendly to career changers.
So now I had a new career path I thought would be rewarding, and I would probably be pretty darn good at. But what about everything I had invested in my current career? After arguing myself in to and out of staying in the museum field (I’m still paying off the loans for grad school that made that career possible), some sleepless nights, and lots of soul searching, I decided… to make the leap. Quit my job and change careers.
Whew, that was pretty stressful. Here’s a cute picture of my cat to help you calm down.
OK, feeling de-stressed? Let’s move on.
I was able to make that leap of faith because I knew what my next step would be: Software Engineering at Flatiron School. The online program would allow me to work while I studied, and the ISA option allowed me to get started right away even though I didn’t have savings set aside to pay for the program. The clincher for me choosing Flatiron was their impressive job placement rates for graduates, which is audited by a third party—no other school I found did that. Those jobs reports made me feel confident that this was a smart investment in my future.
After finding Flatiron, everything fell into place so quickly and easily. I continued the online programming courses I had been trying on Udemy while also diving into Flatiron’s bootcamp prep materials. Within a couple weeks I was accepted to the program, my financing was approved, and I was gaining momentum and excitement in my prep courses. Now I am two days into the online program and that ebullience has only grown as I’ve met my instructor, coach, and cohort.
The world of programming feels like an unexplored frontier to me, full of possibility and potential… I can’t wait to boldly go where no one has gone before!
Well, ok, people have. I haven’t. It’s new to me.
And who knows, I might discover (develop) some new stuff of my own along the way.