Welcome to the very first post on my very first blog!

First up: Who is writing this thing?

As of writing this, I am an unemployed, aspiring, junior front-end web developer. Though nothing is ever so simple is it?

At the ripe age of 29, I decided it was time for a career change. I did what anyone would do. Looked around for some inspiration, didn't find anything that stuck, and continued on the same not-the-future-I-want path I had always been on.

Then I read a book. One that motivated me to think a little differently. It encouraged me to think about what I did and didn't like about all the odd and end jobs I had done up to this point, to try to design what my ideal role would be. After a thorough examination, I found that I most enjoyed problem-solving and having the ability to see the results of my work near instantly.

Now you take those attributes and combine them with what you want out of the job/life. I want geographical flexibility, a comfortable income, the prevention of boredom and complacency, as well as alignment with businesses that make positive change and impact on the world. Too much to ask?

At age 31 I finally landed on programming as the clear path forward. I'm the sort that takes action once I've made up my mind, and that's exactly what I did. The year was 2019, I had been working as a temp for a great manager for a year. We had many discussions regarding possible permanent placement with the company, though it had become clear that this was not going to happen. I advised that I would stay on with them in a temp capacity as I studied toward my first job as a web developer.

Flash forward, it is now February 2020 and I'm getting anxious. It's been a few months and I don't feel that I'm making any real progress with my studies. Maybe I'm not cut out for working full time and studying and taking care of my health and my marriage and... and something needed to change.

After much contemplation and several conversations with my spouse, it was decided that I should quit my temp job to study full time. I wasn't quite ready to pull the trigger, there was a little uncertainty surrounding my husband's job and we wanted to let the dust settle there before doing anything rash. Thank goodness...because then...PANDEMIC.

Suddenly we were both working from home, the world was in a panic. Quitting my stable, full-time job no longer seemed a viable option. I continued trying to study when I wasn't working. Though, like many during these trying times the emotional impact of the happenings of the world got to me. I was barely able to focus on the work I was getting paid for, let alone spending the entire day sitting at the same desk, staring at the same screen... it was exhausting.

Although the company I was working with had lovely benefits and offered all kinds of help to their employees... well... I was not one of their employees and I fell by the wayside. By May, as Covid raged on, I began reevaluating the idea of studying full time. After all, there were SO MANY resources being offered for free during these trying times. It was a difficult decision, it felt like there were no right answers. Finally in July 2020 I put in my official two-weeks notice with the intent to study full time and land my first junior role by the year's end.

It is now October 2020, we've just had the first snow-fall of the season where I live. I've built a portfolio and several starter projects with HTML and CSS, I've taken a course on Python, learned how to use Git and the Linux Terminal, added a profile to GitHub and am now taking JavaScript classes. Today is the day I finally start the blog I've been working toward, and tomorrow will be another step on a long journey.