Noob to Expert - I write software

I’ve accepted a job offer! I’ll be a Software Engineer at Tictail starting on July 10th! Thanks to everyone who has supported me along the way. This win is just as much yours as it is mine.

Thoughts
First of all, I was in no way expecting my job hunt to be over so quickly. It’s kind of insane to think that a few months ago, I was scared to quit my job, and I walked into the unknown with bright eyes and a raw desire to create. If anything, this is proof that sometimes all it takes is perseverance and the willingness to get up everyday and put one foot in front of the other. Beyond that, my saving grace was the entire community I had behind me who helped me keep going (thanks are below!). I’m the kind of person who tears up watching people’s dreams come true on reality shows, and to watch my own come true is no less emotional.

Why Tictail
Tictail was one of the companies that I cold emailed. When I found Tictail, I was like DAMNNNN- I found the company I would have created if I had the courage. If you know me well enough, you know that I’m always making things. My LinkedIn says that I used to create mud pies, but I’ve moved on since then, and that’s more or less true. To help support other creators in doing what they do full-time by doing what I love to do, is ultimately what made me decide to join Tictail.

It was an insanely difficult choice that I’ll describe more in my next post. 4/5 companies I received offers from were ones that I had emailed/LinkedIned myself in some capacity because of pure interest in their businesses. I met a number of amazing people along the way, and I felt an instant connection with many of them. I went back and forth almost every 10 minutes before my decision, but I realized that if it was THIS close, maybe I needed to just close my eyes and choose. I hope that maybe along this long journey of life, I’ll get to work with a lot of those amazing people in the future.

I guess we will see how things go along this path! I AM SO EXCITED TO FINALLY BE A SOFTWARE ENGINEER. To do what you love full-time, and to be paid for it… what could possibly be better? <3 I think I’ve finally found what I’m looking for.

What’s Next
The next step is to RAMP UP as quickly and thoroughly as possible. I’m so nervous and anxious to contribute to a REAL codebase- a REAL WORKING one with OTHER REAL PEOPLE too!

If you’re looking for job search tips/stats, I’m working on a blog post for that and it will be coming up next!

Thanks
Thanks to ALL of you who have supported me throughout this job hunt and those of you who’ve been following this blog. It really took a village to get me through this, and I am so blessed. Whether it was job advice, practice interviews, squashing my fears, telling me to keep going, referring me, or helping me decide what opportunities to pursue, thanks to all of you. I might have missed a few of you below, but that doesn’t mean I’m not thankful!!! <3

All my App Academy Classmates, The App Academy TAs, Amma, Appa, Arun, Greg, Dale, Franz, Mark, Sweta, Dan, Brian, James, Bethany, Ben, Vishal, Tyson, Ahmed, Muqing, Petros, Sara, Rhistina, Hannah, Melodie, Gabby, Natalia, Jiaqi, Raghu, Amber, Sumeet, Appu, Linda, Kevin, Monisha, Kavi, Susan, Tim, Kevin, Fahad, Dave, Jeff, Mark M, Jenn, Beth, Ryan and everyone else!