Hey there, I'm Brian!

I know, pretty stereotypical title for a first article in a developer's blog. None the less, I'm excited to be getting this project off the ground. I have set some goals for myself and I want to have a place where I can not only document my journey, but share my thoughts and most importantly try to be of service to anyone else who might be following the same path behind me. I think, to get things rolling, a little context might be helpful.

Right before the pandemic hit, I left my upper management job at a popular corporate structured restaurant chain to go back to college. At the time, I was making the most I'd ever made, and was on a growth path to certainly reach my professional goals and possibly reach some financial goals late in my career. But the one thing that I realized that was most important, I didn't have. And that was time any form of work/life balance.

Friendships are important to me. Spending time with family is important to me. Being able to go to events, like wedding, birthdays, or gatherings are also important to me. Unfortunately, working in the restaurant industry, being able to do those things and continue down that career path just wasn't possible. So, reaching that conclusion, I packed a U-Haul and moved back down to my hometown, and as soon as I got settled in, the pandemic hit.

The pandemic for me, gave me plenty of time to do some soul searching. It was a moment of clarity for me. As soon as I left high school it was college and as soon as that ended it was straight into the working world. The pandemic was my gap year, and I was happy to have it! I realized the things that are most important to me shouldn't have to be something I sacrifice for a career.

So, now that we're caught up, where are we now? Well.....here! Career change time! I am enrolled in an online coding bootcamp called 100Devs. It is a free online bootcamp, started to help those who have made changes in the pandemic, and work towards financial freedom. During this time, I'm still enrolled in University, taking classes to complete my supply chain degree, but I've decided that becoming a Software Engineer is the path that I want to take to achieve my goals! I am fortunate enough to have some friends that are software developers, and they are kind enough to let me annoy them with questions and use them as a resource. So as I grow and develop, I to hope to be a resource for someone too.

I'm looking forward to sharing my story and what i learn with you along the way! Thank you so much if you've stuck around to the end!