I've found fulfillment in life from artistic expression. In my teens when I entered the workforce I came into work that mostly didn't align with my expressions. I split my time between earning income to support myself and my art. I struggled with this contrast to what I was used to, being free to express my values in new imaginings and artistic experiments. It was a new challenge to learn responsibilities I had to myself and others.
I decided to take a risk and I move away from my hometown and known community. Living below the poverty line taught me that my interests were rooted in people's dialogues with themselves and the world. I invested more time in organizing, both in my workspace and with the people around me. My focus evolved from my self expression to our self expression: from my physical sculpting, to social sculpting. At this point I lived in Madison, WI and had a job designing jewelry and managing a local shop: I no longer lived below the poverty line. I had independant projects too, that not only contributed to creative spaces for the community but also got me paid for my efforts.
Even with everything I had made for myself, something was missing. I happened to have a good friend who came to Turing. He and I would talk and the more I listened, the more I believed I was still capable of learning a completely new skill set. I started to study programming and even when stumbling to understand and facing rejection I found I enjoyed the challenge. Programming reminded me of ideas and goals I had forgotten, believing I couldn't accomplish them. I chanced leaving what I had, because I was missing the challenge I had previously faced to better myself.
Hey Peregrine,
I love how you discuss your values here. It's clear you're very intentional in the way you make decisions, and that will go a long way in communicating your process as a developer as well. For future iterations, I would recommending expanding on how you aim to face challenges as a programmer -- what problems do you want to solve? How does this new career continue to let you lead with your values? Overall, nice work!