The magic of working on what you like

There are just a few days left to end 2021 and I couldn’t help but recap everything I have experienced this year, focusing especially on the workplace. I remember that on the last day of 2020 I thought that my greatest wish for this year would be to make a 360º change in my work. Last year I planted the seed, watered it as much as I could and it has finally bloomed. 🌸

I think that telling the path I have followed can be a very cool opportunity not only to organize my mind but also to help people who, like me, are starting out in this sector. During this year and a half that I have been training to work as a developer, I have read all kinds of stories and I had the illusion that one day I could also tell mine. All paths are very special and have their particularities; No story can be compared to another, but if there is something that I can say and that we all have in common, it is that you have to dedicate a lot of effort to achieve it. Success doesn’t appear out of nowhere. There have been moments this year that I have thought about throwing in the towel and that have been difficult for me, but if I look back I realize that it is on these occasions that I have achieved the most achievements. 🙌

My path to get to where I am today has been much longer and cannot be summarized in a single year. Since I was a teenager I felt that spark of curiosity about the world of technology and the Internet. At 14 years old, adopting this new hobby became my escape route to escape one of the worst moments of my life. It helped me occupy my mind and have a future goal to strive for. I had decided that I wanted to study computer engineering, but as fate would have it, life led me down other paths. Despite that, I kept losing focus on doing projects on my own and maintaining my own personal blog, where I continued learning on my own. That has always been the key for me and that has helped me be where I am now: self-training.

In 2018 I got my first job and the one that helped me return to the idea of ​​focusing on the tech sector. I started in a position more focused on marketing and SEO, and later moved towards web development because it was what I enjoyed the most. As the years went by, I specialized more in the technical field, until there came a time when my responsibilities fell short. My goal was to work 100% as a developer and the pandemic helped me open my eyes a lot in that aspect. I had a lot of time to reflect and realize what I wanted and what I needed to get it. I started a higher degree in computer science and continued studying on my own as I had always done.

Among the large amount of information that I consumed in a short time, I came across a new web development model that at that time and based on everything I had read, I believed was going to be the future of the sector. Looking for documentation to learn about it, I found THE COURSE on Udemy that would help me get my first and second job as a developer. I had read a lot on Twitter about the benefits of Gatsby and his SSR and I liked the course so much that I couldn’t help but catch it. Furthermore, the project being worked on was a website + blog, combining Gatsby with Strapi. JAMstack everywhere!

I learned a lot of things about React, Gatsby and Headless CMS, I looked for life as best I could to be able to do all the things I had in mind and I decided that, yes or yes, in 2021 my website would come to light where I could work on my brand professional as a developer. I was hoping that he could help me with something, but at that time I wasn’t very encouraged and I thought that until I finished my degree in a couple of years I wouldn’t be able to get a job doing this.

I made this website public at the beginning of June of this year. A couple of weeks later I left my job and in July I started my first official front-end position, working with Gatsby and headless technologies. I learned a lot in a short time and began to draw a new professional horizon, with new desires and concerns apart from SEO, even though it is a field that I still remember fondly - and that is essential to keep in mind if you are developing a Web-.

Even so, I had the feeling that this was not my final destination and the confirmation came to me very quickly. October was a total plot twist for me at a work level 🤯 and it has helped me understand and rethink many things at a vital level. I enjoyed my first hackathon that I talked about in this post and I found myself immersed in a new job search, with many doubts and fears. I was starting from a very junior position in terms of work experience and I didn’t know if I would be able to measure up in a job interview.

I remember that I met my current company thanks to Lovelace Tech, an event that was held that month. I thought about signing up for a job offer but I didn’t feel ready. A few days later they found me through LinkedIn and after a few weeks I started working there. When they called me to tell me, the first thing I did was cry like a madeleine. I think it is one of the most beautiful memories I have this year! 😭❤️

This last month of working has helped me strengthen my self-confidence, I have been able to learn many things about many different technologies that I would not have achieved on my own and I have managed to achieve in the last month of the year the great goal that I had set for myself. I have learned that even if it seems that the paths you choose are the right ones, life surprises you and takes you where you want to be and where you want to be. I have managed to get my first job as a Software Engineer, I have doubled my income, I have managed to work in a great organization and I have discovered the magic of working on what you like, everything that I had planned for myself at the end of 2020.

For me, the formula that has helped me get here has been self-training + personal brand + large doses of effort. I think you can see that I put the utmost passion into what I do and I try to share my knowledge through my social networks, or even networking, attending events or recording a podcast (another goal that I have been able to cross off the list this year !). That has helped me to be found and known by recruiters. I repeat that there are moments in which I thought that this was not going to be of any use, but in the end when you see all the steps you have taken is when you realize that it has been very worth it. And finally, put a lot of desire and enthusiasm, a lot of patience and not lose hope, because the opportunity comes when you least expect it and when you are prepared to receive it.

I think my teenage self would be very proud of what I’ve achieved for her so far.

As for me, I am not very clear about where I am going now, but I am sure that in 2022 I want to make the most of this opportunity and continue growing as a professional, take on more responsibilities and help develop digital products that are the most 💥

I don’t know where I am going, but I promise it won’t be boring!