What’s the Skinny…?
Why I Seek to Become a Software Engineer Through Holberton School

Ever since I was a teenager, business related ideas have graced my mind now and then. I remember one particular instance…
Many years ago, I was driving down the road during heavy traffic hours. As I passed vehicles, I noticed most cars contained only one person. Although carpool lanes, buses, and taxis alleviated the Bay Area congestion, many people still drove around alone. As I thought about this dilemma, a thought occurred to me: what if someone developed an app or program that enabled people to network within their community to ride share, or at least, travel quickly from “A” to “B” without using their own vehicle? Well, I guess someone had a similar idea because years later Uber came about.
Ideas are very powerful. I wouldn’t be surprised if thousands or millions of people have had the same idea to create or build something to improve their own life or society, but they are either too afraid to challenge the status quo or don’t quite know how to tackle it. I recalled from my own experience, I hadn’t seized opportunistic ideas based on a plethora of factors, mostly because of insufficient resources — I am not talking about money, although helpful. Knowledge was the currency I lacked.
When it comes to working on my own projects, struggles came about because I didn’t know enough. For that matter, what should I know? I have wrestled with these notions when teaching myself complicated subjects such as app development, web design, or PHP. There were many different avenues to consider: schools, books, manuals, seminars, blogs, online courses, and more! When deciding what to invest in to acquire the right knowledge, I conducted extensive research and compared the trades off. I came to the conclusion that Holberton School is worth a personal investment.
How did I arrive at this decision? Well, what intrigued me most about Holberton School is how it is a project-oriented, structured, and collaborative program. Additionally, I can be mentored by industry leaders on how to prepare for interviews and learn the tools to be in demand.
Granted, there were other options to consider, namely online courses. These share similar traits; however, it isn’t the same as working with people in real-time and undertaking applicable assignments. Then there are Bootcamps. The biggest qualm I have about them is the institution boots their students out the door before they really come to grasp with what was taught, unless they had prior programming experience. As for enrolling in a school, I will definitely not be pursuing that route since the tech industry demands actual experience and typically overlooks degrees. Also, the upfront costs would be too monumental.
Ultimately, Holberton can help prepare me to not just be a full-stack software engineer, capable of handling and implementing many facets of a development stage, but unlock my potential to create realities from ideas. This is the reason why I seek to become a software engineer.
Ken Robinson, the author of Out of Our Minds, referenced a quote by Thomas Friedman, a renowned journalist:
Those who have the ability to imagine new services and new opportunities and new ways to recruit work…are the Untouchables. Those with the imagination to invent smarter ways to do old jobs, energy-saving ways to provide new services, new ways to attract old customers or new ways to combine existing technologies will thrive (Robinson, 11)
Ability. Imagine. Untouchable.
These words come to mind when I think “software engineer”. They have the power to create services and opportunities that can provide value to thousands if not millions of people. When I start the path to becoming a software engineer, I will be presented with the tools whereby I can do just that. In time, I could develop applications or systems with almost limitless potential. Doors of opportunity could be made open.
Being a software engineering graduate from Holberton School will enable me to implement powerful ideas by transforming thought into reality.
