Why did I want to learn software engineering?

I was introduced to the world of coding when I started to play with toys as a kid. What I now realise is that most of the video games involved detailed oriented coding to get things done.

I wrote my first line of code when I was 10 years old in the mid-2000s as part of a special school curriculum. The 26-year-old me now wishes that I had pursued the childhood dream of a software engineer as a young adult but I suppose it is never too late. I had been wanting to learn how to code ever since I had discovered google sites as a teenager again. I didn’t really pay much attention to it and lacked the patience to put in the work to see some websites come to light.

I was also very interested in maths as a kid and this would have primed me well into a life of software engineering and web development. I have also enrolled in a few classes of data structures and algorithms which hopefully should help me brush up on my ability to tackle time-space leed problem questions. Having a solid background in chemical engineering and some degree of logic programming might help me in my pursuit of becoming a full-stack engineer in the software industry.

I am interested in making my own app one day — something that would enable people to invest in real estate or develop my own cryptocurrency using solidity along with various javascript frameworks. I am sure that by completing this Bootcamp with Academy Xi, I am able to actualise on a few of my childhood dreams and get a job in the tech industry. Asynchronous Javascript sure does sound like a lot of work to do. But I am sure with the right amount of effort, I would be able to understand the concepts and make the most out of it.

So far I have been bad at prioritising my time due to a sudden change from my work-study cycle. I have in the past few days been more productive and been able to get the assignment done. I do think that going forward I need to be more active in the slack community and then use my resources to further my cause to become a software engineer.

I want to make the most out of my time doing this Bootcamp and that means ensuring that I am not falling behind on the assignments and the course work. I want to ensure that by putting inconsistent hours, I will be able to graduate in time and then start my career as a staff engineer at a FAANG company someday… maybe someday.

I want to be able to code 8 hours every day going forward, that would ensure that I fall in love with the process and that my attempts to become a software engineer was not in vain.

My key takeaway from the past two weeks is that I need to ask more questions in class and be more active in the community. I want to be able to understand the various concepts thoroughly and be able to practise on them straight after. I want to develop the childlike intuition that I had when I was younger. I want to try this strategy out and it appears to be something worthwhile in all honesty.