Last year I was getting burnt out as a restaurant manager at a popular fast-casual location. I was working 55-70 hours a week, trying to find balance between work, caring for my children, being a wife, a friend...I had started to become super overwhelmed. I was never home, I barely saw my husband and kiddos, I missed out on so many firsts with our youngest child, I wasn't taking proper care of myself, my mental health was deteriorating...things were not looking good for me. I knew I had to do something soon, I needed to make a change in my life. I was ready for a change.
I don't remember what prompted me to do this, but one evening I found myself messing around with some HTML on an old (very old) blog I tried to start years ago. I messed around with it for so long, I had lost track of time. When I was younger, I was so fascinated with creating any way I could online, and typing out code and watching it appear in the browser was so magical for me.
Long story short, I rediscovered a passion I forgot I had once had.
I went down a rabbit hole and stumbled across Career Karma . I signed up for free, joined a handful of squads, participated in some workshops, completed the 21 Day Challenge, and was matched with a couple different boot camps.
After talking with the admission teams at a couple different boot camps, I decided to apply at Kenzie Academy . I immediately knew this was where I needed to be, where I wanted to be. My experience thus far has been unmatched, and really deserves it's own post. I will make a post dedicated to my journey with Kenzie so far. Exciting stuff!
After my interview and skills check, I was accepted into the April 2020 Software Engineering Program. This past October, I graduated the front end portion of the program! I'm not in my last quarter learning all things Django to compliment the Python skills I gained.
It all worked out so perfectly, too. I was laid off from my management position due to Covid-19. I had applied to Kenzie right after being laid off and started shortly after. This was the change I needed. I had to find a way to be home more with my family, to be more present, to focus on my health and grow as an individual. Not only all of that, but I'm actually doing something that I love to do.
I just wish I would have took action sooner.
Until next time! ✌