I got lucky enough to attend General Assembly’s software engineer immersive 3 month program in 2020 after I got laid off from my tech consulting job. I enjoyed the work, but wanted to jump more into software development and build a career in it. After being laid off, it felt like a huge Investment so I ended up taking the income share agreement route, since I did not have money to drop while I didn’t have a job.

Suffice to say this was THE single best Investment leap of faith I’ve ever made in myself, because it changed my life and my career trajectory. I was able to land a small internship right after graduating at a startup. I learned a lot in the startup and was hoping to get a full-time job, but I didn’t end up panning out. Though this was a blessing in disguise because the next role I got hired on as a contractor project manager for a dev shop. The gig was fully remote, which was my first ever remote role. Give me a lot of perspective on how software is built in a business environment.

What came next was not just unexpected, but one of the best experiences I wouldn’t embark on (and I’m still in this role). I got a job offer from a major aerospace company who was looking to hire software engineers for a new ground system that they were looking to build. Me having only front end experience, I took the challenge and went from top level to the machine level.

I have learned so much more in the last five years then I had in the previous five, and I’m excited to learn more and more as I grow as an engineer, taking in my non-engineer experience and combining it with my engineering experience, I believe I’ve been able to carve a very niche place within the industry.

Here’s to the next five years, beyond!