If there’s one thing I've learned over the past several years, it’s that your career path doesn’t have to be a straight line. Mine definitely wasn’t. In 2013, I graduated with a degree in Business Administration thinking I had everything figured out. I imagined myself thriving in the corporate world, maybe climbing the ranks, slowly but steadily working my way towards management, even executive roles. I had such lofty plans then.
After graduating, I ended up doing sales and marketing for a bit, and while it was a good experience, something in me knew it wasn’t the path I wanted to commit to long-term. I tried to brush aside that uneasy feeling, but eventually, that small voice in my head became too loud to ignore. So in 2016, I did something that felt both terrifying and freeing: I quit my job. No backup plan. No clear next step. Just a whole lot of soul searching and trying to figure out what I actually wanted to do with my life.
During that time, I found myself thinking about who I was before all the labels, before being a “graduate” and an “employee.” Before I had adult responsibilities. I remembered how much I genuinely enjoyed computer-related subjects back in high school. How I liked solving those worded math and science problems they give you in class. I liked breaking things down, strategizing on how to approach them, and weighing the pros and cons of different solutions. That part of me never really left. I just forgot about it as the years passed. Realizing that reminded me of a version of myself I genuinely missed, and it was the nudge I needed.
So in January 2017, I took a leap of faith and enrolled in a full-time bootcamp course with UP ITDC. The program ran for six months, and even though I was able to lean on my math background, let me just say it: IT. WAS. VERY. HARD. It was a crash course in the basics meant to equip us with practical skills and get us ready for the industry. Between the information overload and the tight deadlines, I spent so many sleepless nights trying to study and complete our class activities. There were days I questioned everything. Days I wondered why I left a stable job to stare at errors that made no sense. Days when I felt defeated, but also weirdly excited because I was learning something new. I decided to push through with it all anyway. When we graduated from the program in June 2017, I was exhausted, but very proud that I made it to the end.
Then, in August 2017, I landed my first job as a software developer with a small startup company. That moment made all the struggles feel worth it. Things haven’t been all rainbows and sunshine since then, of course. We all know how demanding the industry is. You have to be comfortable with learning all the time because tech never stops evolving. But despite the challenges, the years I’ve spent as a developer have been incredibly rewarding. This year, I celebrated my 8th year in the industry, a milestone that still surprises me when I think about where I started! It’s been a journey that has taken me to places I never imagined and shaped me in ways I’m grateful for.
Looking back now, shifting careers was one of the best decisions I made. It taught me that it’s okay to change direction, to start over, and to choose a path that aligns with who you really are. And if there’s anything I hope others take away from my story, it’s that it’s never too late to pursue something that genuinely excites you, even if it scares you a little.
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