Changing Careers During a Pandemic?
I’ll admit, I’ve had some second thoughts…. and I’d be lying if I said that they were completely put to rest at this point. But I’ve never been one to hem and haw over things that are beyond my control, so here we go.
This being the very first blog post, here’s some back story. I’m a rock climber turned mountain biker that grew up in Seattle, Washington and went to college at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fl. While there, I took a few courses in introductory programming covering C++, Java and Python, but never went much deeper than surface level as it wasn’t required for my degree past the elective credit it earned me. Looking back now, I probably should have pursued a minor at the least, ideally a double major because I had a knack for it and thought it was fun! However, I was a transfer student from a community college and didn’t feel I had time to take all that on before I ran out of physics classes to take.
I graduated from FSU in 2015 with a degree in physics and promptly decided that academics wasn’t the path I would be pursuing after college. So, I moved from Tallahassee to Chattanooga, Tn and pursued my hobby of rock climbing while working at a commercial wood shop. We built fixtures for restaurants as well as the odd residential remodel and some metal work sprinkled in from time to time. I found that I could accomplish basically anything my employer asked of me, and quickly moved into a leadership position as a project lead and a design associate. After a couple years, however, I began to understand that with such a small company and a wide array of skills, I was coming dangerously close to pigeon-holing myself into a position that didn’t allow for much personal growth. So, after much deliberation, I came to the conclusion that I not only needed a change in job, but I needed to get out of the construction industry altogether.
But wait, isn’t the construction industry considered an essential industry?? WHY WOULD YOU QUIT RIGHT NOW???? Thoughts like this have dogged me since deciding to change careers. To be honest? I still look towards November (when my cohort ends) with a degree of angst. What will the software engineering landscape be like in five months? What kind of new industries and needs will be emerging in the coming days as the pandemic continues to roll through the world? Typically I try to keep myself from peering into the abyss of doubt, but I think times like these warrant a glance.
All that said, I have the support of my partner, as well as my family and friends to boot, so I don’t feel completely at odds with reason. There’s strong evidence for the case that if I didn’t make a change in my career, I would be even more of a stressed wreck than I am now. My girlfriend would certainly agree, and so do I. Stress and impending doom aside, it feels good to be working towards a goal again, honing old skills and developing new ones while looking forward to brighter prospects.
