I grew up tinkering with computers — installing and reinstalling software on our family computer for the fun of it, already dreaming of being a software engineer. But when it came time to choose a degree, my family didn't support that dream. So I picked something close enough: civil engineering, which shared the problem-solving, the math, and the satisfaction of building things.
I graduated and spent almost five years working as a project control engineer. It was solid work, but the pull toward software never went away. Eventually I felt ready to make the switch — without a mentor, without a guaranteed outcome, just a plan. I started with the fundamentals of computer science through online tutorials, then researched job listings to figure out which language was actually in demand in this market, and picked one. Two years ago, that plan turned into my first job as a backend developer.
Long-term, I want to help other people making the same jump from an unrelated career into software — the way I wish someone had helped me. But first, I want to become a world-class software engineer myself.
