I've been fighting, I've been striving

Once upon a time there was a girl. She was just living her life. Nothing big was going on just healing, working, striving and following a passion. That passion was renewable energy. I was just living my life, going somewhere, going nowhere, and following the wind farms. And then someone glitched my system.

Or maybe a whole bunch of people did. The software engineer I met on the steps while I was feeling unwell who told me that you didn't need a computer science degree to be a software engineer. The manager who insisted to me that I tried coding. The senior manager who didn't promote me prompting me to apply for a product role. The product person who I was replacing who directed me to codecademy. The software engineer with over 40 years experience who told me that it was the most creative thing that he had ever done out of all the creative arts - and who told me that I would be a software engineer, for sure.

Even when I argued with him, and I denied it. He told me to transition across and I thought it was impossible but then I did. You know the story - a blissful year of training ensued, with an inaccessible bootcamp but lots of nice people offering to help and made some amazing friends there as well - mostly younger people.

Then came the end of the bootcamp and something was off with Zoa, my old company - no-one told me what it was but after a few months it became obvious things were sliding - days or weeks maybe.

Then came the layoffs. Then came getting my current job. I can't believe I got it. The combination of learning enough Python, learning enough Django, being astonishingly good at using chat GPT and knowing the problem space so well because of my knowledge of and love for and passion for renewable energy meant I did well in the technical test. Also my written skills etc. And my ability to follow clear instructions.

Then came the year of hell, of realising I wasn't quite qualified for the job but fighting on.

There were some great moments, lovely colleagues, lovely relationships. I loved learning Python.

I loved the performance coach Kraken got for me. I love my managers. And I love my team.

But the journey begins today