My Story
My journey into programming was rough
Here’s how it started:
I dropped out of a computer engineering degree in part because I struggled with maths (-$7500+, -1 year).
I couldn’t break into the game industry after I had completed a diploma in IT (majoring in game development) because I did not stand out (-$2500+, -2 years).
I hadn’t received a single call from a recruiter even though I was applying for 20-40 entry level programming roles per month (-4 months).
3 years later, down $10,000+ and not a single lead to follow up on - my desperation had turned into despair.
On particularly bad days, I couldn't find enough energy to get out of bed and face the day.
I felt physically and mentally exhausted, even though I knew deep down I wasn't really going anywhere.
I was depressed and I wanted to give up on my dream of becoming a programmer so it wouldn't hurt so much.
And just as I was about to back down, it seemed like my prayers to enter IT were finally answered...
I received ONE interview for an application support technician role.
That interview lead to my first IT job offer.
It felt great, even if it was a side step. And everything got easier from there.
In one year, I was able to prove value and transition internally to a full time programming role.
I had finally made it after 4 years of rejection and failure!
Fast forward some 10 years later - working as a software architect at a high growth SaaS company, I had set out on a mission to sharpen some of my technical skills.
During this time, I was lucky enough to have an incredible opportunity to learn regularly from a database expert.
In one session in particular I felt like I had learnt more in 1 hour about databases than I had learnt in the past year on my own.
The day after that experience, I began to wonder...
What if I had someone to guide me at the start of my journey?
How much time and money could I have saved?
How much pain and misery could I have avoided?
Where would I be now if I had help from someone who had walked further along the same path?!
It was at that moment I felt a powerful calling!
A duty to help others.
It was time for me to leave my role as a software architect and help others break into programming.
Now, I am a code mentor on a mission to help aspiring programmers make a big impact in their personal lives and the world, quickly.
I’ve also found a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in my own life as I’ve come to learn that:
Empowering others to achieve incredible outcomes in record time is one of the most fulfulling feelings in the world!
