In March 2020, along with millions of other people around the world, I began the long process of starting a new career. I had to ask myself

What is it that I want out of a new career?

It seemed pretty simple:

• Financial security
• Quality benefits for my family
• Improved work/life balance
• Ability to work remotely

On the surface many of the above reasons are very valid for why someone may want to become a developer, however now that I’ve been in and out of the job market for the past two years I’ve realized that for me there is a deeper reason.

You see…I’m a marine biologist. I graduated from college with a Marine Biology degree and for the next 20+ years pursued my passion of rescuing and rehabilitating marine mammals. Helping animals has always been something I enjoy doing. There’s a saying in the animal field

People that work with animals typically do so because they don’t enjoy working with people.

This always seemed to fit.

My job as the Manager of an Animal Rescue Program afforded me the opportunity to teach many people how to properly and safely respond to distressed marine mammals on the beach. In many cases, during these training classes I was asked what I enjoyed most about my job. I would always reply that releasing a rehabilitated animal back to the wild was the most rewarding, but what I soon realized was that this was the furthest from the truth.

I will never forget when one of my volunteers told me that her job working with the animals saved her. That my passion and dedication to the work and to the team helped her through a very difficult time in her life. It was in this moment that I recognized what truly was the best part of my job. Helping people, working with the team, growing and expanding the program in the community.

Over the past two years, I have followed the self-taught route of learning to be a developer. I have woke up early in the morning and stayed up late at night. Studying, building, and taking many notes. All the while thinking of those initial reasons of why I wanted to be a developer. But as I’ve looked back on my past career I’ve been reminded that I need a purpose. I need to feel like I’m helping someone or something bigger than me. And that is why I now know the reason why I want to be a developer.

I want to create and build beautiful, meaningful websites or applications with a team of varying personalities and experiences which ultimately impacts another person or team of people. I want to create something that will make someone's life easier. I want to create something that will allow someone else to realize their dream.

It’s true. I had a pretty cool job that not many people have the opportunity to experience, but I feel that being a developer has the ability to be just as awesome.