From mechanical engineering to software development
You probably wonder how can someone who has graduated as a mechanical engineer and spent more than four years in the construction field switch to software development? That’s true, it was one of the best decisions I took in my life and today I am going to share with you my journey!
Yeah right! I turned, from building Gas Treatment Plants and Power Plants to building web applications, and from planning projects, inspecting delays and resolving conflicts to managing codes, deploying apps, and solving algorithmic and data structure problems. I was always passionate about computer science, and I was always following up on the latest news in technologies and in the IT industry. Even in my previous job, I have always been drawn to building Excel templates with VBA, Dashboards, creating databases, and managing huge amounts of data every day. I enjoyed every part of it, even though it was limited and I couldn’t build the kind of solution I was looking up for. Until one day, I said “Enough thinking! It’s time to take action and make the first step “. And finally! I took the first step, I decided to start learning how to code and build applications! Yeah, learn the real code and build real and solid applications… That excitement didn’t long much, to be honest!
As soon as I started doing some research and reading articles here and here, I begin to lose my enthusiasm and I got my very first struggle! Where to begin? There’s a huge number of articles and topics about learning how to code and tons of videos and tutorials on YouTube and other platforms you name it… I was barely able to focus or learn anything at all. I didn’t know really where to start and where to finish? What language I am going to learn first? What path I am going to take? I have got a lot of questions without answer and my motivation was dropping really fast.
Until one day, I came across Microverse, a remote school for software development. It was offering a full stack web development curriculum with no upfront cost, a collaborative learning experience, and lots of global opportunities! Wait a second! This is too good to be true! But also, there’s no harm in giving it a try… So, I took the chance and said why not? Before applying, I had to go through some pre-course provided by them to get the basics of web programming in order to pass their admission challenges. I was very excited at that particular moment, I have finally something to look up to and a clear path I can follow to reach my goal. I was also afraid because I was already having a job and everything seems to be kind of stable and fine… Was it really fine? No! It wasn’t fine, I wasn’t happy and deep inside I had that feeling that this is not what I want! I can’t imagine myself in this position for five or ten years from now. I have to take risks and conquer my fears! So, I took this pre-course and spent a few hours every day after work reading and learning the ABCs until I was ready! I applied and kept waiting until I get an answer and I got it! I was accepted! I was very excited finally I am getting one step closer to becoming a software developer. I did resign from my job and started my journey with Microverse!
After five months from joining, I could say that it’s a life-changing experience. It helped me stay committed and focused day after day. I was able to learn new skills and build numerous projects that I could never dream of. I was always surrounded by its community giving me support and continuously pushing me to my full potential. For anyone who is thinking about switching to software development and still hesitating: Stop thinking and move to action! You have to get out of your comfort zone and conquer your fears! No matter where you are or what background you have! If you can think of it you can do it!
