A Few Reasons Why Becoming A Software Engineer Is Right For Me.
When getting to know someone, one of the first things people will often ask is tell me about yourself, what do you do, what drives you, what are you passions? That said, I have to be honest, I hate talking about myself and even more writing about myself. Why you may ask? Well, I’m now in my late 20’s and just now really starting to get a grasp of who I am and who I want to be — finding myself if you will.
My mind is constantly going, which is both a blessing and a curse. I like solving problems. I can quickly analyze a situation and find many different solutions. Something that challenges me and lets me create things excites me and makes me feel accomplished. I began thinking — how could I apply this to a new career? In life, I feel its important that we find what will both inspire and fulfill us on that path.
For me, I need something with good pay and staying power, allows for remote work, and permits me to maximize my natural desire to create and incorporate problem solving strategies. This thought experiment lead me to discover a curiosity and potential love for programming as a software engineer.
Good Pay & Long-term Relevancy? Check.
- The average salary in the USA is $49,764. (BLS)
- Common software engineer salary in the U.S.: $107,510 per year. (BLS)
That’s over double the national average! With the need for software engineers ever expanding, this is a great job for pay and security. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicates that this category of jobs is expected to grow by at least 22% from 2019–2029. I am a single mother with a four-year-old son that depends on me. The possibility of being able to make six-figures in the future is a major plus to this career providing both security & longevity.
Remote Work? Check.
As long as you have a computer and internet you really can do your work anywhere. This was big for me because I suffer from clinically chronic anxiety. I spent a few years not even being able to leave my house at night without crippling panic attacks. There was a point in time where I felt I would never be a productive citizen.
Thankfully, its 2020 and things have changed. Remote work is the new sweep as Coronavirus has plagued our country. The opportunity to work from the comfort of my home was a glaring benefit. Of course working in a nice office isn’t terrible either. That said, the flexibility of working your own schedule and not wasting hours commuting sounds like a dream.
Problem Solving? Triple Check.
Troubleshooting is a large part of the job and this really perked my initial interest. More specifically, software engineers work on varying tasks using coding inputs to system designs to create platforms and endures applications that we use everyday. Much of their time is spent detecting and correcting errors and bugs in the code that cause the program to break or produce unintended results.
The more I looked into this, the more I liked it. Similar to when you finish building something, or deep cleaning your entire house — that feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction is like a rush in and of itself. Furthermore, I like knowing the knowledge gained from each project will likely have a cascading effect allowing me to advance and perfect my methods as I go along, so there’s a bit of excitement in that too.
In the end, after years of wondering if I would ever find a rewarding career I could see myself happy in, I felt I had finally found my calling.
“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
― Steve Jobs
