Blog Post 1
The aspects of web development/tech that is exciting me the most is the ability to utilize tech to create something beautiful and functional for users, while assisting organizations gather/use analytics while protecting personal privacy. I am excited to learn to code and learn about/using AI. I am pursuing a career in Data Analytics with a focus in Project Management. I am profoundly grateful for this program because I believe it will provide a great foundation for my career development. I believe that I can become a full stack technician. Since June, I have found several different online courses that I can take for free or for a nominal fee. I found that Udemy, Coursera, edX, Kaggle, and Study Bullet can help augment my career development. Outside of class, I plan to network with others in tech (LinkedIn, AWS, and Meetups) and begin to utilize the aforementioned resources. I have decided that I should pursue a career in tech because everywhere I go, I gravitate towards tech. Tech has always been something I was interested in since I sat on my first computer (IBM 5150) decades ago. I was upgraded to a Tandy a few years later, but following my parents death, I was discouraged by others to not pursue tech. My computers were taken away from me as a child, but in my late teens and early twenties, I found a way to use some tech. For a long time I did not think that tech could be a viable career for me due to the way I looked, physical/mental health barriers, traumatic experiences, and various forms of abuse/neglect.
Last year, I began to truly challenge my thinking regarding a career in tech. I began to identify themes in my employment history. Unsurprisingly for me, technology, specifically problem solving/troubleshooting usually became my secondary (unpaid) responsibility which included troubleshooting software, computers, WiFi, phones or improving, implementing, or streamlining processes. Upon further consideration, I also noticed that technology had a repeated theme in my personal relationships (working for free), fixing computers, phones, or routers/modems. One barrier that I must overcome is an internal one, self-efficacy. “I can do this” is a new or emerging mantra for me. When delving into my motivations and incongruencies in my actions, I found that past traumatic experiences have kept me in self-doubt, without, and discontent. I am seeking positive supportive individuals for this journey and my new life. I am also very focused on maintaining my health, by using preventive strategies and wellness tools.
Another exciting aspect is that I can use tech to support myself, build a life that I choose, and to be part of a team that is motivated to enthusiastically complete a project with measurable objectives. I can also use tech to assist others in the community by utilizing my acquired skills to create and/or maintain user friendly sites for everyone but specifically for the elderly and disabled individuals.
The most immediate and critical barrier I am facing is permanent, stable, and safe housing (I am not using a redundancy of terms). Over the last decade, I have found myself ‘circling the drain’ as a result, I have been unhoused for nearly 3 years. I lived in my car for two years. I began fighting suicidal ideation in May, resulting in researching a possible career in tech. I also became very ill while living in my car (four times in 18 months). I was hospitalized in July, 2024 for 5 days. I was sent to live in a recuperative care shelter. I have a looming discharge date of Oct. 17th. Returning to living in my car at discharge is no longer an option, as of Friday Sept. 20th, as it is not drivable and now impounded.
In July, I signed up to be entered in the Coordinated Entry System for Homeless services in Los Angeles in order to find housing. I have been referred to a Full Service Partnership by the case manager at the recuperative care shelter (waiting to find out what assistance, if any, that may be available). I was also referred to and put on the waitlist for a re-entry program in August. I am waiting for case management to open at St. Joseph’s Access Center (I am checking availability weekly). I will continue to follow up with current referrals and look for additional support as my housing situation is becoming critical to the point of possibly living on the streets or in another unsafe place. I am also hoping that my renewed driver’s license will arrive soon, so that I may have the ability to seek additional housing support/services.