March 10, 2021

Here it is. Writing in my blog voice. Or at least working to find it.

I graduated over a year ago from a software developer bootcamp. Technically, I am certainly a career-changer, but it feels weird to say. Even at an early age, having a career did not seem likely for me. Nothing stood out, other than being an eternal university student, but I was not sure how to make that into a sustainable way of existing. At the time, I was totally unaware of the progression from undergrad, to masters, to PhD, and how that can work financially. The framework to ask the right questions was lacking, too. Not an uncommon circumstance for a student who did very well, even in advanced classes, but with no family members who had pursued a formal education to act as a mentor.

Instead, I pursued a variety of interesting jobs over the years. Learning the various parts of an industry was extremely appealing. At 17, I started to volunteer for a radio show, mostly producing and writing PSAs and goofy segments with my friends who also volunteered. That led to on-air jobs at two radio stations, paid and everything. Playing and recording in a few bands overlapped my time in radio, and that all resulted in my pursuing an internship at a record company just outside of Nashville, TN.

The main learning point that came out of the Mini-Career Music Series? That if I am going to talk to people (who aren’t co-workers) about something for my job, I need to find what I really love about it, because it is what will continue to motivate my... motivation. Being a person who lands on the introverted side things, my speaking and socializing spoons are a precious commodity, so I prefer to direct my energy toward learning, creating, and building. Not surprisingly, it took me a few more mini-career experiences to really learn that lesson.