I graduated with a B.S degree in Software Engineering & a Certificate in Web Development.
The journey wasn't smooth but it was full of miracles every step of the way.
Struggles
My time wasn't solely devoted to my GPA and extra curricular activities. My wife and I had our son before college, so more mouths to feed and additional things to care about than just my grades and education.
My first C++ class was a slap in the face telling me "Think twice if you really want to do this". Even though I got an "A", I still didn't understand what was going on. At one point during my Sophomore year, I remember looking at job postings for Junior Software Engineers and thinking: "There is NO WAY I will be ready for these jobs".
Some concepts took my friends only minutes to comprehend while I spent hours trying to understand (Turns out it was my undiagnosed ADHD, which is now diagnosed and treated).
For some reason, I kept going.
Soon, there was a never ending stream of companies denying me an opportunity.
I wish I could say "I never considered giving up, I am THAT mentally strong". And although I was getting mostly A's, I did consider giving up a couple of times.
But I didn't give up, and I consider that one of the many miracles that happened along the way.
Miracles
My family saw me cry when I was beating myself up for not understanding programming concepts quickly enough. But my wife NEVER acted like "you better make this work, we left our country and comfort zones for this". I felt pressure in many ways from life circumstances but NEVER from my family.
There were professors who made me feel capable. They didn't sit there and shove their knowledge into my brain. Instead, they showed me how passionate and excited they were about their subject and made me want to become that passionate too! I even had the opportunity to be a Teacher Assistant for some classes and worked in the research and re-design of the curriculum for a new Back End Development class.
Suddenly, after an innumerable amount of denied applications that made me think companies definitely didn't want me, not even for an internship...an excellent company put its faith on me and hired me full-time. I secured a full-time, serious job, 6 months before graduating.
Conclusion
I didn't go to an Ivy League school nor did I get hired by a FAANG company. But for a guy that grew up in the outskirts of a town in a 3rd world country, I have accomplished more than I could have imagined when I was a teenager envisioning my future.
"Stick to your task ’til it sticks to you;
Beginners are many, but enders are few.
Honor, power, place and praise
Will always come to the one who stays.
Stick to your task ’til it sticks to you;
Bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it, too;
For out of the bend and the sweat and the smile
Will come life’s victories after a while."
—Author Unknown
Now I'll move unto many more challenges and trying to make this road less challenging for others!
Check some of my other articles:
💻 How To Watch a Coding Tutorial[and actually learn]
🍔 The Importance of Array Methods explained with Food
👓 How I helped my Wife learn Front-End Development
