"Every New Beginning Comes From Some Other Beginning's End" My IT Career Journey

What better place to end the story than the beginning of the previous story?   A little over three years ago I ventured into the vast unknown... the deep, dark, and often stormy ocean of technology. At the time,  I worked as a File Maintenance Clerk at Community Natural Foods. In the midst of a major software change, I had the opportunity to work closely with the IT team. I started to consider IT as an alternative career path to Kinesiology,  more ideally - a complimentary one, or perhaps even a way up the ladder in the company.

In the meantime, as a recent Kinesiology graduate of the University of Calgary, I maintained my job search for a Kinesiology position. I applied at a company in Cochrane called Dynastream that specializes in wearable fitness tech. They a job opening for a Kinesiologist (or a computer engineer? - seems odd...) to fill a maternity leave position.  I landed an interview, for which I studied their website like crazy trying to remember technical jargon about ANT technology (something I knew nothing about at the time). The interview turned out to be much different than I expected. I could feel beads of sweat forming on my forehead (were they noticing? No wonder the ad had specified "or a software engineer"!). Yet, in that moment, I realized that I did not really want THAT job. I wanted the job of the software engineer sitting across the table from me.  Wouldn't I rather be creating the products? Despite not getting the job, I was inspired to pursue my interest in technology further.

I bought a smart phone and went on an app downloading spree that fueled the spark. I enrolled in an Introduction to Programming course through continuing education at the University of Calgary, and in "Computer Applications in Kinesiology" (a course taught by one of my favourite kinesiology professors, Dr. Larry Katz - a brilliant mind studying the application of technology to fitness education. Dr. Katz also supervised me while I did a practicum in the Sport Technology Research Lab during my bachelor studies. Perhaps fate? That practicum happened to be the only one left when I got it). Anyways, one day while on my way to class, I decided to look for a volunteer opportunity on the job board and came across a curious ad seeking a Kinesiologist interested in technology. I immediately sent my resume to the founder of a startup called Stroke Link, an iPad application designed to help rehabilitate stroke survivors.  Having previously volunteered as a rehabilitation aide at Association of the Rehabilitation of the Brain Injured (ARBI), I was intimately familiar with the potential of this product to improve people's lives. StrokeLink invited me to become part of the design team, and use my creativity to help design the app user interface using Photoshop. Little did I know, I was participating in the first phase of the software development lifecycle.  I helped brain storm use case scenarios, create UI mockups, and test the prototype at ARBIs with real users. I gathered their feedback to bring back to the drawing board.

After achieving an A+ in both computer courses, and having experienced the potential of software to improve lives, I decided to research the most suitable way (i.e. considering financials, timeliness, and job potential) for me to further my technical education and become a software designer myself. In November of 2012, I pressed the submit button on my application to the Information Technology Diploma program at SAIT Polytechnic, with the goal of focusing on software development. The acceptance letter came only two days later! In September 2013 I began my journey towards becoming a real programmer.

Hence, this picture! Taken May 29, 2015 - ITSD graduation! 

This picture marks the end of a journey where I learned a lot, met many awesome people, and stuck true to my goals (I almost switched to Networking - it's fun!). But my IT journey is really only starting. In the great words of Semisonic, "every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end".  I plan to keep learning and growing, so I have created this blog to track my projects, goals, and adventures in IT.

I must thank my family for supporting me throughout all my educational experiences! Thanks for the food, the shelter, and the empathy.  I also want to thank Ravi Mani, for always encouraging me and helping me learn to "brag".  Thank you!