PD Story

pd-story.md

I have found myself in a variety of teaching roles even though I've never particularly wanted to be a teacher. While volunteering with AmeriCorps, I taught Spanish-speaking children English. At the Phoenix Public Library, I taught adults basic computer skills. At the Denver Public Library, I taught all kinds of people all kinds of things as a makerspace facilitator. It was in the library makerspace that I had my first real exposure to coding. It was there that I discovered I want to be a maker, not a teacher. I decided to pursue a future in front-end development to challenge myself and to hone my creativity. I'm looking forward to a more rewarding and engaging career, one where I'll be the one making instead of the one teaching.

Hi Carla! I really appreciate how you've gotten your story down to the biggest priorities already so that it is very concise and easy to share quickly. Your transition point to deciding to become a software developer (realizing you wanted to become a maker) is very clear here.

I would encourage you to rethink how you present your first career as a teacher. The way it's phrased right now ("I have found myself in a variety of teaching roles even though I've never particularly wanted to become a teacher") gives both an impression of passivity (teaching happened to you accidentally rather than you making decisions) and one of negativity (never wanting to become a teacher). You could rephrase this with something like "Although I hadn't initially thought about becoming a teacher, I realized I had the skillset to help people and began my career in different teaching roles...."

I think this is a very strong start, and as you continue through the program, think about how you could add to the ending here as well -- by becoming a developer who is making, what kinds of things do you want to make? How can you combine that new creativity with helping people through the software you're building? Great work!