Why did I decide to study Software Engineering?
Hello, my name is Matt and I have been lucky enough to call Bend, Oregon my home for the majority of my life. I have witnessed my local small town experience a growth rate that puts Bend Oregon in the top 5 fastest growing midsize cities in the nation. A common characteristic of new transplants to Bend is the fact that most people work remote jobs, giving them the freedom to reside anywhere in the world that has internet access. This was my first hint to the way jobs and our economy will progress in the near future. I did not want to be left behind.
A year ago I sold a small business I started, which was a mobile bar company for weddings and events. It was lucrative and enjoyable but based on the pandemic my timing was extremely fortunate. After the sale of my company I had no idea what direction I wanted to take my life. I was trading stocks and options and it was profitable but I knew it wasn’t sustainable long term. I started reminiscing about the computer science courses that I had completed in college and, be it subconsciously, I knew that software engineering was inevitable. My father was an IBM manager for decades and I was on a computer in diapers. The time had come to take the first step. The hardest part was taking that first step as we all know!
That first step was finally taken when a friend told me about her experience with Flat Iron School. She had absolutely no coding or computer knowledge and dove in head first, completing her schooling and landing a great remote job with the help of Flat Iron. After she shared the transformation of her life path I knew it was time to take the plunge.
I now have a path to become a software engineer with the ultimate goal of working for a fintech company as I see this industry growing exponentially in the next 5 years.
I’m looking forward to reading this blog post in a year to prove to myself that with determination and focus any person can reach their goals.
If you’re reading this, good luck to you and to me in the future.
Matt
