This is not a Cover Letter

it's just the story of why I want to work as a developer

I love computers since I was a kid, even when I didn’t have one of my own. Everytime I went to a friend’s house, and they had a computer I would spend hours on it. I don’t know how I learned that, it was just something natural. I knew exactly what button to press or how to use a mouse.

I begged my father for years to buy me a computer, but he refused everytime. Finally when I was 19, with my first job, I got a computer of my own. Windows millenium was its OS but since it was so bad, I changed it to win98 and I loved it! I remember I felt such a "hacker" the first time I learned how to change the image that said: “You can turn off your computer now”. That’s when I started to learn a lot on my own. The internet was still dial-up at the time, but I managed to learn all that I always wanted to and some more.

First I put all my efforts into image editing with Photoshop and some other programs. Then by 2002 I started learning Flash, and Dreamweaver (they still belonged to macromedia, remember that?) and what I enjoyed most of websites is that everything I created could be seen by my friends and family.

During that period of time, programming caught my attention. A friend taught me some Visual Basic code using excel editor, and then he installed some version of VB in my computer and I kept on learning on my own. I got to use my abilities one time, when I was working in a call center and I found it difficult to keep track of all the information the customer gave me during the call, so, with the help of my friend, developed a little program that guide me through the call, completing every answer to the question I was supposed to ask and save all that information into a text file. The little program was a real success and my coworkers and supervisor started asking me to share it with them. Of course I did, it really made everyone’s work easier, and we all reached full bonus each month thanks to that.

By that time I have already learned how to format a PC and clean it, connect and disconnect hard disks (slave or master mode), remove or add a video cards and changing the power source. One time I got the blue screen error (Win98) and I knew the cooler was about to die. It was a Sunday, no stores were open and I really wanted to keep using the computer so, I open the CPU an put a fan straight to it. It worked! It didn’t solve the problem, I know but it allowed me to continue until the next day.

Around 2006 I continued to create websites in flash, but I wanted to do a little more so I took a course on ActionScript to have better animation on them and by 2008 I created one to show all that was able to do. It was a sort of portfolio of hobbies. Unfortunately, I stopped paying for hosting so the site is no longer online.

I created a few more sites in flash and dreamweaver, but as work comes first, I didn’t have the time to fully learn about new technologies, so I dedicated my spare time to write a blog about something I knew quite a bit: Photoshop. I wanted to give something back given the fact that I’ve learned everything from the internet. The blog contained many PS tutorials, english and spanish. Some of them were even sold to other web sites. I was able to keep it for a year or so, and then again work had to be a priority, no time for hobbies.

After that, social media took over, I dedicated my free time to make videos or pictures to post, but didn’t created any more websites. I realized that technology has exceeded me. I felt a bit frustrated because there was so much to learn, and I didn’t have the time to do it. I knew I could learn by myself, but where to start? How? Everything changed so fast. I was feeling so old!

And then smartphones were a thing, I couldn’t help myself, I needed to know how apps worked. I didn’t want the same thing happening to me again, feeling old and outdated, so I took an online course on JavaScript apps and responsive websites and rediscovered my passion for coding and make things work.

As if it was destiny, on 2019, coding knocked on my door. I was offered the opportunity to get a significant discount in a 5 months Full Stack Web Developer course. OMG! I was thrilled, but I had to pass all the programming tests to get it. I was a little scared because I haven’t had coded in a while but I decided I would try my best. It took me a couple of weeks but I managed to solve every challenge, and approved the admission process.

Today I’m halfway into the Full Stack course and I love it! I don’t understand why it took me so long to realise that this is what I really enjoy doing: creating things and see them work!

That’s why I'm looking for a job in web developing. I’m hungry for knowledge and I know the best way to learn is by doing. If I learned all this in my spare time imagine what I could do with 9hs a day, 5 days a week! (probably I learn a little more on weekends, but that’s on me ;)

Hope you have enjoyed my story, that in some way you thought #same in some of the situations I depicted. I also hope you can see that I have always loved this and I’m willing to start from square one (even though I’m already 39) if that allows me to grow as a person and as a developer.