Becoming a Software Engineer
April 5, 2017.
This was the day I left everything behind. My family. My friends. My home. My college scholarship. Comfort… Sitting, alone, at the gate of my 8:30 pm departing flight from EWR, I was overcome by a wave of emotions. Saying goodbye to my little brother, my dad, the vivid image of my mom crying as I walked through the security gate and into solitude, all replaying in my head. This wasn’t what I had in mind when I decided to take this step (leap). Prior to this day, life, for the most part was flawless. My family and I were healthy, I was playing college soccer on a scholarship. Everything was so… easy. After playing in the first National Tournament in school history, as a Freshman, I decided to drop out of school and buy a one way ticket to my country of birth (Poland) to pursue my yearning desire of playing soccer, professionally. I had no connections, no agent, no team, no money. Up until my departure date all I heard from people was: (“You’re so stupid” “You’re making a big mistake” “How can you let a (nearly) free education go to waste”). I didn’t let that get to me. It did however leave me with one major thought. “Am I being selfish?”
In order to refrain from writing a book and to keep your attention I’ll speed this up. I am here with you today, striving to become a software engineer and writing about my story. I’m sure you can guess how it ended. My journey lasted less than a year. Riddled by injury, paperwork issues and agent disputes. In the grand scheme of things, although for a lower division team(s), I did accomplish my goal. But at what cost? Was it worth it? Was I young, stupid and stubborn as some had suggested? Admittedly so, I guess you could say it was a bitter ending. However, through this journey, I have gained something that money can’t buy and school can’t teach.
I look back on this journey, this “horrible” decision, and realize it was the best thing to ever happen to me. It taught me to be fearless. I no longer fear the unknown.
Since returning from Poland, for the past year or so I’ve been a real estate agent. A profession with endless financial possibilities. Although being just twenty-two years of age, taking all into consideration I’ve had a very successful start to my real estate career. So why would I drop my progress in real estate for software engineering? I’m not. Real Estate will always be a part of my life. I love it, but real estate is a profession of complacency. And that fearlessness? It’s been dwindling. I’ve had some time for self reflection and I realized, for whatever reason, I don’t want to be remembered one day as a real estate agent. I want to be remembered for more. For pushing myself harder, beyond my comfort zone, for learning somehing I have no clue about. For being fearless.
You see, while at college, all I was focused on was soccer and improving my physical abilities. I didn’t care for my education or for improving my mental capacity. Truth be told, (for the one semester I was at school) I majored in Computer Science. I finished that semester with an “F” (for the first time in my life), in my Intro to IT class. I guess you can say I have to settle some unfinished business.
Attempting this Flatiron Software Engineering journey, proves that we are all fearless. At times, I feel like it would be easier to swim across the ocean then to learn even the basic concepts of Ruby. I am not afraid to admit that, because I know that through perseverance and fearlessness, no weapon formed against me shall prosper.
I will bec….. WE will become master software engineers and I look forward to sharing this adventure with all of you, my virtual classmates.