Stumbling on Coding

Monica Sira
Aug 8, 2017 · 4 min read

Some paths you don’t expect to take, but it may bring you closer to finding yourself and what you value.

The Start

At the beginning of this year, I found the 80,000 hours blog. We will have dedicated about 80,000 hours of our lives to a job by the time we retire, and so we should spend it wisely. How much is 80,000 hours? A lot I guess. I browsed around and saw ‘software engineer’ listed as one of many potentially impactful jobs, with mention of the bootcamp route. I thought to myself, why not give coding a try? I enjoyed trying to fix minor printer problems at work and pivoting excel tables.

The Perfect Language (doesn’t exist)

What programming language should I start with??? I headed to the hundreds of Quora forums and Medium blogs, and spent hours reading suggestions upon suggestions. I generally got the sense Python or Ruby was the way to go. Maybe about a week later I decided on Python because a friend took some online courses.

To leave or to leave?

3 weeks passed learning Python and I decided that I was going to quit my job. My friends asked me why? I can see my future self doing this, I tell them. I mean, seriously, 3 weeks and I convinced myself of that. Of course, I really just needed a push, a small nudge, anything, to make my decision. I had been dissatisfied with that version of myself for some time. I was ready to jump off the cliff and as they say, grow wings on the way down.

Data Science or Web Development?

I had narrowed my choices down to these two paths mainly because coming from outside the STEM world, they seemed accessible. Also, they were heavily promoted and offered by bootcamps.

I didn’t have much confidence with design, so projecting myself into the future, I decided on data science. I proceeded with a prep course, which took me through Python modules, basic probability and a personal project. I enjoyed it, and found myself drawn to analyze social-science-centered datasets and questions. However, it looked like I had to get a PhD if I wanted a career doing that.

So I told myself, lets give web development a try, and see how it goes. I enrolled in a web dev prep course, which is how I ended up in my current bootcamp. Here are a few reasons why I think I chose web dev at this bootcamp:

  • It came second.
  • I felt I didn’t have any more time to ‘waste’ (which was entirely caused by my job-quitting act).
  • Seeing my own webpage online was pretty cool.
  • I was excited to create stuff the curriculum said I would.
  • I saw Ken’s (one of the bootcamp founders) presence consistently on Quora and Medium.
  • Alumni as listed on the bootcamp webpage appeared to have done well.

The Present

I feel invincible. I like that there is structure and inherent pressure asserted by enrolling in a bootcamp. I appreciate the quizzes and challenges spread out in the course. I like that I can research and learn whatever I’m interested in (which would not have worked for me as the sole method to master web development/software engineering because of discipline issues and my sporadic interests). I especially like feeling my days are being occupied deliberately.

The more one does, the more one can do.

-Amelia Earhart-

Well this is just the beginning, but I’m trusting the process and I have a goal. I guess I’m being quite optimistic on this post, but its generally how I’d like to remember my journey so far.

Post title cr: Stumbling on Happiness

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade