Embracing the Decision for Change
I have always been one to struggle with decision making — from small decisions ordering from the menu at a restaurant, to the biggest life decisions. Deciding on a career to pursue or setting personal life goals were not things I remember having much success in. I would make such decisions on the fly as they come, often times allowing external factors, environments and circumstances to guide me wherever it would take me.
Perhaps growing up exposed to the mass information available on the internet, along with the fear of making the wrong decision kept me at a stall. I recently learned that there is a term for this from playing board games called “AP’. AP stands for “Analysis Paralysis” and is used to describe the state players get into when they try to make the perfect move, but end up becoming paralyzed by thinking too far ahead into the game. “AP” was the state I had been in for what seems to be the majority of my life.
“More is lost by indecision than wrong decision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity. It will steal you blind.”
— Marcus Tullius Cicero
Despite the circumstances, I was fortunate enough to be provided with opportunities under great mentors along the way. It’s really crazy to think that just 4 years ago, I thought I would be hopelessly stuck in the endless cycle of entry-level jobs over and over again. During these last 4 years I worked hard with the support of my mentors, working my way up to a management-level position.
I felt a sense of relief. With the help of my mentors who saw my strengths and believing in me, I was able to prove to myself that I am capable of doing more beyond the entry-level jobs I thought I would be stuck in. I was grateful for this experience and through it, I understood the importance of setting goals and the impact it has on driving results down the line.
After about a year and a half or so of being in my last position, I was no longer exposed to new skill sets or concepts and felt my growth plateau. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy what I did, but I became aware that opportunities to move further up in my current company were limited nor was it something I was interested in pursuing.
I began exploring the idea of a change. Not just for a similar job within the industry, but a completely different career path.
Needless to say, without an education background or any work experience in the different fields, the options were limited and the more I became disheartened. The idea of going back to school for another 4 years without 100% certainty on what I wanted to pursue was a risk I was not willing to take.
It was around that time that I recalled a conversation about a friend’s friend who went through a successful career transition, from a completely unrelated industry into programming. She had attended a boot camp with no prior programming background nor experience and had seen great success.
I started asking friends around me in the field for more information about the said boot camp and their thoughts on my career change. Some addressed immediately that it will be a pay cut. I knew from experience, that sometimes I need to take a few steps back in life to get one step further than where I was. Many also mentioned that I will need to continue teaching myself even after the said boot camp, but the ever-growing list of things to learn intrigued me further.
What gave me hope was being informed that there are a lot of self taught people out in the field, but even then without any credentials it may be difficult to get my foot in the door. I was strongly advised to go through the boot camp if I were seriously considering making the jump.
I started off with some intro courses on Codecademy to see if simple concepts would click, and then enrolled in the part time Web Development Fundamentals course at Juno College (formerly HackerYou). The more I learned, the more I became drawn to the programming concepts, the inviting community and the collaborative nature of the industry.
Even after all this, I was still on the edge of going through with the transition. The idea of leaving everything I built up behind, and into the rabbit hole of uncertainty terrified me. It was overwhelming to know that, for the first time in my life, I was making a life-altering decision for no one other than myself.
I took a step back.
There it was again. “AP”. Combined with my skeptical nature, I caught myself trying to talk myself out of it, even to the point where I was searching for negative boot camp experiences online to justify these thoughts. I was terrified of the consequences should this not work out.
While searching for reviews and experiences, I came across a post where an individual expressed the same doubts and fears I had in a slightly different context. She questioned if it was a good idea to go back to school in her mid-30’s to study what she had always wanted to. Someone had commented on her post which struck a chord with me. I don’t recall the comment word for word, but I found a quote that the comment I read reflects :
“Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.”
— Earl Nightingale
Fast forward a few months, here I am. Finishing my second week at Juno College’s Web Development Immersive program alongside many other cohorts, each coming from different stages in their lives.
We all seemed to have one thing in common — we’re giving our all in seeking to better our lives, and working hard to pursue this milestone for our journey — wherever our destination may be.
