My Last Blog as an Array Student
Formerly a student at Array and now a Software Developer at the Wyoming Department of Enterprise Technical Services.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AND WHAT YOU WERE DOING PRIOR TO ARRAY.
I was born in Rapid City, South Dakota. Spent my early years in my father’s hometown of Waimanalo, HI, while my father was overseas in Korea. We moved to Cheyenne, WY in 95 and have been here ever since. I’m half Hawaiian and half Native American Souix from the Standing Rock tribe. I served 5 years in the Wyoming Air National Guard as an Air Transportation specialist from 2010 to 2015. Most of my time was spent trying to get away from warehouse jobs after I left the Guard, and to branch out into other career avenues. I almost had a stint doing voice acting in the summer of 2015, but did not have the funding to make the move.
WHAT MADE YOU INTERESTED IN ATTENDING?
After a good friend made a suggestion to check out Array, I looked over the website and application and gave it some good thought that evening and night before sleep. The next day, I had to make sure it sounded good and reviewed it one more time before feeling comfortable about applying, but honestly, the fact that it would only be 6-months and it did not seem expensive compared to my other plan of applying to IBMC.
WAS IT A DIFFICULT DECISION FOR YOU TO APPLY?
It was, mostly because of my financial status at the beginning, but I had some confidence in myself that I would successfully see it through to the end.
WHAT MADE YOU ULTIMATELY DECIDE TO ATTEND?
It was almost an all-or-nothing moment. With the support of my father, I felt like it was a risk worth investing in.
DID YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WITH CODING OR DESIGN BEFORE ARRAY?
I had only played with HTML and very minor python code prior to Array.
WHAT IS AN AVERAGE DAY AT ARRAY LIKE?
An average day is usually filled with lots of coffee from the Paramount Cafe, a few good chuckles, the sound of mac keys being pressed simultaneously, and minor grumbles from time to time about some line of code not working, or that our internet connectivity is giving us a run for our money! And towards the end of the day, we see the likes of beer easing our coding nerves and we tend to our plants. Everyday at Array is a blessing.
NOW THAT YOU’RE ALMOST DONE, DO YOU FEEL THAT COMING TO ARRAY WAS A GOOD DECISION?
Applying to Array was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. I was down on my luck and in a dark place, but Array appeared to be the entity I was waiting for, so reaching out was the natural thing to do.
WHAT WAS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT THE LAST SIX-MONTHS?
Learning to think more logically and carefully, or rather, tuning into that kind of mindset more, only because you naturally start to feel overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge your brain is taking in.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT?
I’ve had so many fantastic moments here at Array! It’s really hard to pick one, but if I had to, I would say it was when we took a class trip to Laramie and visited the 3D Visualization Center. The things that team has done is awe-inspiring!
DID YOU ACCOMPLISH WHAT YOU WANTED TO GET OUT OF THE SCHOOL?
Thankfully, I was able to get what I wanted out of Array! It’s opened so many opportunities for me, not to mention that I now have the capacity to dive in deeper with the languages I’ve learned thus far!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW JOB.
My official title is CTSD-08 Software Developer II, and I work for the State of Wyoming’s Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) department. I do not begin until March 31st, but I will be working with local businesses and their technology projects, varying from small day-long projects, to bigger, grouped projects that span weeks, months, (and even years!)
ANY FINAL THOUGHTS ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE OR THE SCHOOL?
It’s only been six months, but those six months were jam-packed with delightful insights, knowledge, and fun times! Getting to know the students, the faculty (ET and Josh,) and our fellow residents on the Second Floor; I have to say– I’m gonna miss my time here as a student. It has had a meaningful impact on my life when I was down on my luck and about to give up. I’m forever grateful.
IF LIFE HAD A RESET BUTTON, AND KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW, WOULD YOU DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN?
I love entertaining these ideas on my spare time just before sleep; so, I like to imagine alternate-universe me’s are already doing time-travel experiments with the past. But, since we barely know how reality works around us, I would not want to reset. I’m here in this point in time with the knowledge and experience, but that’s what makes it special. I wouldn’t want to wring out the lively experience of its grandeur!
