I have a lot to say.
First things first: I’m a full stack developer.
It’s weird to say, and still hard for me to believe.
I graduated.
I am done with code school.
I can write code in three different languages.
I can build a website with three different stacks.
Who is this girl? I’ve accomplished something I honestly never thought was in the realm of possibility for me. “Girl Power” was something we used to say in 1996 when a Spice Girls poster was on every 10 year old girl’s bedroom wall, yet the phrase has more momentum and passion behind it for me now at 27 than it did when I was 6 and saying it to everyone I knew… while holding a peace sign, obviously.
We’re 5 months in to 2018 and the year has already been a whirlwind for me. I’ve moved to a new city, taken on a completely new field of study within tech, decided to stay in said city, and fully completed the program and two projects within it. I’ve made new friendships and rekindled old ones, encountered new challenges, climates, and levels of loneliness, and today I realized I couldn’t be happier. YAY!
At face value this program has given me new skills in development and the tech industry, but it’s truly given me so much more than that. I feel empowered, and an overwhelming desire to empower others in return.
When I lost my job last year, along with my independence and a few other things, I remember telling a girlfriend(hi KK!) that I felt like I didn’t know who I was anymore. That I felt as though everything that defined me had been pulled out from under me.
This journey has allowed me to find the things within me that define me. Courage, persistence, determination, and heart. Quitting was never an option, no matter how hard the next step felt.
Although the code education portion of my program has ended, we’ve begun Career Readiness week at the Dojo. Yesterday we were asked to write our “Elevator Pitch” (and also to act it out in a networking setting… always awkward.).
Anyway, here’s mine:
I am Holly Valenty. I am an ambitious, confident, and coachable full-stack web developer. My first life was as a recruiter but my path has centered around working with developers and cultivating a love for technology. I bring a dynamic set of skills to web development and am passionate about breaking down barriers as a women in tech.
These last few months have made me realize how passionate I am about encouraging women of all ages to try out an area of STEM to study as well as encouraging people to take risks, or find what makes them feel strong.
Take on the challenge, whatever it may be, do it. Just go for it. Stop waiting for the right moment, or until fill-in-the-blank happens, because it may never happen and you may lose out on the opportunity to change your life for the better.
I think back to the Diversity Scholarship essay I had to write for my program, and reflect on the 3rd grade girl I wrote about (Spoiler alert: it was me). The one who thought that the reason she struggled in math and science was all due to the fact that she was a girl, and therefore, bad at these subjects. The one who thought she was going to have to rely on playing soccer in college to get into college in general, or could only ever do something in english or history to earn her degree. I hope she’s proud. I hope she knows how kick ass she can be. And that it’s ok to be confident about her skills and her intelligence, because she’s the only one who can determine her worth.
I hope she’s cool with all the risks I’ve been taking, and the dreams I’ve been achieving, because I’ve been coming up with a few more for her..
A few other updates:
- For my code friends, Javascript with Angular was my favorite technology to work with, and what our final project was done with! Despite feeling a little blind and struggling with it, I’d like to build my portfolio with it. There is so much you can do!
- I have decided to call Chicago home. I’ve found an apartment in a neighborhood I love and am so excited about what’s next on this journey.
- I’ll be back in St. Pete next week to visit friends and family, and scoop up my pup so she can be my side kick in the midwest. Celeste and I will be driving to my new home the following week. Please pray for our sanity (and safety).
- My Lola girl has some heart problems and she and I would really appreciate any spare prayers for her improvements.
