Mornings, Nights and Weekends
How I changed careers and became a developer.
Change is hard.
Changing careers, while holding a 9–5, can feel downright impossible at times.
It requires a great amount of discipline, motivation, inspiration, and most importantly, courage.
It also requires a great deal of time.
Here's my story.
Despite the current microwave culture of success, changing careers and improving one’s well-being don’t happen overnight.
My journey from Sales and Marketing in the music industry to programming began back in October 2014 in Brooklyn. It took 10 months and ~1400 hours of self-teaching to get my first full-time developer gig in Philly.
I firmly believe that anyone, no matter their background, can do this.
By telling my story, I hope to encourage those currently in the trenches of change moving from one career to another and also inspire those that have crossed over to share their stories.
Why do you want to Change?
Begin with the end in mind.
I wanted to learn to code and change careers because I wanted to improve my financial situation and build solutions to problems.
Economic mobility and being able to solve a problem for anyone anywhere in the world were the primary catalysts of change.
Clearly defining why you want to make a big move is incredibly important to help keep yourself motivated on a long journey.
My Background
If you were terrible at math in high school, struggled to process complex topics quickly, and didn’t have a college degree, you’re not alone.
I almost flunked just about every math class in high school but somehow graduated on time. I studied music composition in college and dropped out for financial reasons, so nope, no degree.
Don’t put yourself in a box or become discouraged just because you’re background doesn’t fit a certain mold. Stay the course. Finish the race.
Schedule
I’m not a morning person,
but I got my best work done at 6 am.
There are 168 hours in a week. I spent 30–40 hours teaching myself how to code depending on what curveball life threw at me.
I had a full time job and an hour commute each way to work, which ate up about 50 hours a week.
This meant I had to make the most of my Mornings, Nights, and Weekends.
A big challenge for me was when life forced me out of my routine.
I’d get really depressed because I missed a day of coding and it was always difficult to get back on track.
I was fortunate to have a roommate at the time who was an engineer. He helped me push through whenever I felt like giving up.
Communities like freeCodeCamp are invaluable spaces to get encouragement and connect with people who have similar struggles.
Do everything you can to find someone to hold you accountable and to remind you that what you’re doing is difficult but you can make it.
My First Gig
I remember listening to the @CodeNewbies podcast one day and hearing about someone who had participated in an Apprenticeship program.
This got my wheels turning, and after days of research, I discovered a design agency in Philadelphia that had a similar program.
What was interesting is that the company’s main marketing website had no mention of the program. Apparently, I had found a dormant standalone page.
I figured it wouldn’t hurt to reach out, even if the program no longer existed.
I sent a cold email to the founder expressing my interest in the company, my passion for programming, and my desire to learn and contribute however I could.
I came down for an informal meeting and I interviewed about a month later.
After an intense day-long interview, a few weeks later I got the job in August of 2015. This opportunity never would have come if I hadn’t reached out, despite there not being an open position.
This was an unconventional approach but it paid off. I would also encourage those looking for work to apply for positions even if they’re looking for someone with more experience.
You never know, you just might get a shot.
Mistakes
Of course I have made several mistakes along the way.
Some lessons learned:
Don’t learn alone or in secret
Don’t be afraid to say “I Don’t Know”
Don’t try to boil the ocean and learn it all
Build and break things, then write about it
My North Star
You’re going to need a mantra to keep yourself going during dark times.
Mine is simple.
Live. Love. Serve.
Live your life, not someone else’s.
Just be your best self and don’t try to fit in.
Remember, it’s okay if you say, “I don’t know”.
Don’t act like you’ve got a ton of experience in this new field. Embrace being a beginner and eventually, if you stick with it long enough, a novice.
Mastery is a life-long pursuit.
Love
your close friends and family by sharing more intimately. Don’t make a career change behind closed doors. Allow others to hold you accountable.
Serve
those who are less fortunate than you. If you made a career change successfully or you failed, please share your story.
We can all benefit from your experience.
— DKH
This story is the exact inspiration and motivation I needed today. Thank you!