ericweissman/ew_professional_story_draft

## ew_professional_story_draft
*When I look back at my previous work experience, I can hone in on my time as an educator as a transformative part of my life trajectory. After college, I joined Teach for America and began teaching in high-needs public schools throughout Colorado. My experiences in education helped me realize my potential as a leader and problem-solver, especially in high pressure, high stakes environments. I was able to consistently lead my students to high growth and found similar success in elevating the performance of others when I transitioned into an assistant prinicpal role after only a few years in the classroom. As an educator and administrator, I ignited my desire to always be learning and to find creative solutions to the ever-changing problems I faced on a daily basis.


*However, after some deep reflection, I realized I needed to step away from education to see what I could accomplish outside of a school setting. I transitioned from a high-performing assistant principal to an entry level position in a digital marketing agency, which required less responsibility. While I was initially motivated by learning a new industry, I quickly became dissatisfied with the work as I wasn't challenged the way I had been as an educator. This inspired me to see what I could create on my own, which led me to start my own small business, Wander Wallets. This venture allowed me to continue learning and build the skills that I wasn't hitting at my digital marketing job. I learned (and continue to learn) about what it takes to run a successful business, from financing, communication, forecasting and project management. Additionally, I was able to take the concepts and skills I learned in the digital marketing space and apply them to my own company.


*As my business continued to grow, I switched to a more rigorous digital marketing positon at a reputable mobile app company in Denver. This environment gave me a ton of perspective on the future of tech and the impact these shifts would have on the digital marketing space. After some evulation, I came to the conclusion that my job in digital marketing likely wouldn't exist in 6-8 years. While looking around the tech space, I saw that those who had the ability to write strong code could be a huge force of change in the coming years and have a skillset that would be prepared for the foreseeable future. When I looked into a career change, I settled on the Turing School of Software and Design because of their rigorous curriculum based on scenarios and situations that align with the work of successful software developers.


*My experiences so far in software development have greatly exceeded my expectations and reinforced that I made the best choice when tranistioning careers. Programming offers endless opportunities to learn and develop, and how one takes these lessons and applies it to whatever problem they are facing allows creativity to shine through. I want to take my momentum from Turing to find a position that embraces growth and development with a company that is taking a unique approach to solving everyday problems. I think my combination of business savvy, ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders in all parts of a business and self-motivated attitude make me a unique junior-level developer.
	*When I look back at my previous work experience, I can hone in on my time as an educator as a transformative part of my life trajectory. After college, I joined Teach for America and began teaching in high-needs public schools throughout Colorado. My experiences in education helped me realize my potential as a leader and problem-solver, especially in high pressure, high stakes environments. I was able to consistently lead my students to high growth and found similar success in elevating the performance of others when I transitioned into an assistant prinicpal role after only a few years in the classroom. As an educator and administrator, I ignited my desire to always be learning and to find creative solutions to the ever-changing problems I faced on a daily basis.


	*However, after some deep reflection, I realized I needed to step away from education to see what I could accomplish outside of a school setting. I transitioned from a high-performing assistant principal to an entry level position in a digital marketing agency, which required less responsibility. While I was initially motivated by learning a new industry, I quickly became dissatisfied with the work as I wasn't challenged the way I had been as an educator. This inspired me to see what I could create on my own, which led me to start my own small business, Wander Wallets. This venture allowed me to continue learning and build the skills that I wasn't hitting at my digital marketing job. I learned (and continue to learn) about what it takes to run a successful business, from financing, communication, forecasting and project management. Additionally, I was able to take the concepts and skills I learned in the digital marketing space and apply them to my own company.


	*As my business continued to grow, I switched to a more rigorous digital marketing positon at a reputable mobile app company in Denver. This environment gave me a ton of perspective on the future of tech and the impact these shifts would have on the digital marketing space. After some evulation, I came to the conclusion that my job in digital marketing likely wouldn't exist in 6-8 years. While looking around the tech space, I saw that those who had the ability to write strong code could be a huge force of change in the coming years and have a skillset that would be prepared for the foreseeable future. When I looked into a career change, I settled on the Turing School of Software and Design because of their rigorous curriculum based on scenarios and situations that align with the work of successful software developers.


	*My experiences so far in software development have greatly exceeded my expectations and reinforced that I made the best choice when tranistioning careers. Programming offers endless opportunities to learn and develop, and how one takes these lessons and applies it to whatever problem they are facing allows creativity to shine through. I want to take my momentum from Turing to find a position that embraces growth and development with a company that is taking a unique approach to solving everyday problems. I think my combination of business savvy, ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders in all parts of a business and self-motivated attitude make me a unique junior-level developer.