“I started building websites when I was a teenager. I taught myself HTML and CSS. At the time I thought it was just a hobby. Then I got an associate’s degree in computer programming.

Before Lambda school I was in tech support for a software company. At the time I wanted to get into programming and I just didn't know how to launch my career. On the way to changing it, I met someone who said ‘don't get a bachelor's degree, go to Lambda school.’ I immediately applied and got into the full stack web program.

My parents helped me pay for rent and I had no income through Lambda, but the sacrifice was worth it. I would rather be programming without income, knowing this is a valuable skill and I'm going to get there than to keep doing what I was doing being unhappy and knowing that I could be more. 

Not far into the Lambda curriculum I started applying for jobs. I met with career coaches regularly to make my resume and cover letter better. I was like, why wait until graduation when I have these skills? I actually am considered as having been hired early. Now I’m a software developer.

"People may not expect me to be a web developer, but I'm just being me and doing what I like to do. I wasn't sure when I was going to accomplish this, but it was all me who woke up and stayed up late and asked questions and built projects and did tutorials and wrote blogs and tweeted and networked. Now I have faith in myself and my ability as a programmer.”