dranrex

[dranrex]

I’ve started learning the process of game development, chosen my platform for creating a game, and begun acquiring assets. Today, I’ll focus on building my website, defining requirements for my app, and exploring Swift and iOS development.

[dranrex]

I’m officially graduated from college and now it's up to me to continue my education. at this point I've applied to over 40 different places for Early Career or Internship jobs. I haven't heard back or got denied by all of them, which isn't surprising considering I only have a degree and no projects or experience. Tax season is coming and I think what I'm gonna do is get some certs to make me more competitive in the job market. It doesn't help that Central New York is barren for tech jobs, everything is in NYC.

I still need to find what I want my specialization to be in. Cybersecurity is expected to grow 30% and Data Analytics is a lot of what I already feel comfortable with, considering it is Excel and Python. I can still get into game design and app development, but nothing really SPEAKS to me… so for now I'm using Agile Methodology to plan and create my own website while I figure it out. Could always go Full Stack…

[dranrex]

Burnout

For nearly two decades, cooking was my all-consuming passion and the only thing I wanted to dedicate my life to. In high school, I attended a vocational campus, and later pursued a Hospitality degree in college because they didn't offer Culinary Arts. Determined to follow my dream, I earned my Bachelor's from a culinary school. My ultimate goal was to move to Las Vegas and cook professionally.

After saving enough money, I finally moved from the East Coast to Vegas, only to be confronted with poverty wages and the onset of a pandemic. Unfortunately I quit my job due to high levels of stress and low pay, which left me unable to collect unemployment benefits. With my savings depleted from the move and furnishing a new apartment, I had no choice but to return home.

Back home, I found another cooking job with the best crew I've ever worked with, but the worst management. When our concerns to HR went unheard, my entire team quit, and I found myself losing my passion for cooking. The long hours, low pay, mounting student loan debt, and physical and emotional exhaustion drove me to seek something new.

What was meant to be a temporary job away from the industry turned into an opportunity for growth. Through work, my new job offered free college tuition to select institutions and career fields. I'd always wanted to learn programming but lacked the attention span and discipline. After all, my focus had always been on cooking. Now, I find myself graduating this winter from Southern New Hampshire University's online Computer Science program, ready to start fresh at the age of thirty.

This blog will chronicle my journey into the tech world as I navigate breaking into the field, strive to improve as a developer, and hopefully attract potential employers who might Google my name.