Cohort Stories: Meet David C.
vol. 4, no. 21 — guest post by David Corporan
My interest in technology started back in 2005 when my father bought the first family computer. I don’t remember doing much in the early days other than playing the stock pinball game that came with every computer back then. A few years later, my brother would go on to emulate Nintendo and Sega games on it and that was when my mind was blown. I couldn’t wrap my head around how that was possible. High school came and went for me, I barely scraped by and I was offered a second opportunity to attend a program at Northeastern University that gives students an extra year to earn college credits and prove that they want to be there. Things were going good for a couple of months until I was released from the program because my high school did not submit the official transcripts they needed.
That was one of the biggest hurdles I had to overcome because it made me sit and contemplate how much time I wasted in high school on the wrong things.
A couple of years later, while driving for ride-share apps, I was inspired by a conversation with a passenger. This conversation pushed me to go back to school and learn what I love. I realized that I love the movement of money and technology so I figured I would go to UMass Boston for a Bachelor’s in Computer Science. I ran into financial difficulties there when my bank loan wasn’t approved for the following semester. Shortly after, I attended a coding bootcamp that taught me the in-demand skills in the industry. After graduating from the coding bootcamp, I applied to countless entry-level positions that led me to a lot of phone screen interviews and rarely went further. I am an extremely eager learner and I have been told I am pleasant to work with and I couldn’t find out why I wasn’t getting extended offers for in-person interviews where I feel I can shine.
I got frustrated with the process and I felt like I was on my own and at a disadvantage to people that may be connecting more effectively and who had a support system on their side.
I started to attend networking events around the city and telling people my story, that’s when someone pointed me to Hack.Diversity and told me to check it out. I did a bit of research and really liked what I saw. I really think that this program is the opportunity I have been looking for. I was getting ready to throw in the towel with the job search and change careers, even though being a software developer has been a dream of mine for some time now. I am excited for the people I am going to network with during my time here and also for the relationships I am going to establish with people in my Cohort and those who I have yet to meet.
