Moving On

So about six months ago, I decided that the path I chose for myself (law enforcement) was not quite working out. I have been sitting on numerous hiring lists for several years. The idea of spending another moment answering phones and file paperwork was a waste of my talents as well.

I then got the crazy idea of maybe I should go into web development. Hell I hang out with IT professionals, SQL database managers and, c’mon The Big Bang Theory guys look like so much fun. But seriously, I really started to feel like this was the path for me.

I started deconstructing websites when I got my first computer at age 16 (yes, I was behind the times). I knew that CTRL+U was my best friend. There was something fascinating about seeing how code responded with one another. Can I really format a website? There was sense of accomplishment when I put my first HTML site on the web (http://www.blondeintrigue.com/markov). I was proud even though compared to today, it looked like complete crap.

Several years went by, I slowly learned PHP and CSS, but never went further than personal enrichment. I was still deconstructing site but never building anything on my own. By this time, I was getting more involved in college and heading towards law school.

Unfortunately the job market fell right as I graduated from college. I spent The past five years bouncing from retail to security to secretarial work. All that time and effort and I had nothing to show for it. I needed something more challenging and rewarding. With a 3.78 GPA and drive for a more challenging career, pushing paper was just not for me.

I knew I wanted to go into IT but didn’t know what path to take. Should I focus on graphic design or web development? I wanted to try something out before I deep drove into a program and then decided I didn’t like it. I’ve decided to set out on the path of online courses. From the look of things, there are many courses (Codecademy) that are free and others (Treehouse) which require a fee. I’ve always been a self-learner so this seemed really ideal for me.

The second issue is where to start. I know HTML really well and a bit of CSS. I’ve dabbled in SQL database management and even troubleshot code in PHP. Like most things in life, it’s best to start from the bottom (i.e HTML).

So here I am beginning my journey of maneuvering through the world of computer programming.