posted 5 years ago
Hey guys. New to the forums here and I need some career advice.
So a couple months ago, I started learning code with Javascript by taking a course on Udemy. I genuinely had fun learning it and I was close to starting my first project. But then I got discouraged along the way because I started asking myself why I want to learn code.
See I've been struggling for a really long time now trying to figure out what I want for a career. I was a biology major in my undergrad year but I don't see myself pursuing a biology career. In my senior year, I took an Intro to Computer Applied Statistics course. In that course, we touched on Microsoft Excel, SAS, R, and a little bit of Python. I liked the coursework and found it refreshing after constantly being in labs. Even though the assignments were for a class, I felt like I was more engaged rather than just studying text and then taking a text. I admit R was kinda boring but SAS was really fun to play with.
So because of that experience, I thought that coding would make for a great career path. But like I said earlier, I got discouraged. The reason is because I didn't know what I wanted to code. Games? Mobile apps? Websites? I started Javascript first because one guy on YouTube made Javascript Tetris. I felt inspired and I wanted to try my hands on remaking my own puzzle game, but instead of Tetris, I wanted to make Columns. But I had another hot question. After making that game, what do I make next?
What I'm trying to get at is that I am not creative, or at least I don't feel like I am. I was always more analytical minded instead of creative. I liked problem solving and puzzles and such which is what drew me into coding because it felt like one big puzzle to solve as I was learning. I felt mentally engaged which is one thing I want my future career path to include. But making a mandatory "portfolio" of projects for job prospects kind of eludes me. I feel like in order to pursue this kind of career, you have to be creating and full of bright ideas. I don't have any of that. I just want to problem solve, solve puzzles, and stimulate my mind. If I can somehow turn that into a job, that's what I'm looking for and I don't know if coding is for me.
However, when going over my options for careers, programming kept creeping back up in my mind and I felt the urge to learn to code again. This is why I'm feeling conflicted. I feel like this feeling isn't something I should ignore. I've never had that kind of feeling or interest in any other career, but programming is something I find myself thinking about the most. I'm really not sure whether to pursue it or not. I don't know if I'm making the right choice right now by doing so. Please, if you guys have any advice for me, I'll take it.
