Every 4 weeks another set of part time students graduate from Coding Dojo. I may or may not have been one of their instructors during their journey. But it doesn’t matter if I was or not. I know my fellow instructors so I know they are getting the best of the best. Seeing students that I have taught graduate and post their certificates on linkedin… well it just makes me smile. Well more than that actually. Every student that joins the Dojo regardless of the program is going to get an amazing instructor, have amazing TA’s helping them, and are gonig to gain knowledge that is going to change their world. It doesn’t even matter if they for some reason don’t graduate. They will have gained something. Maybe it was that programming isn’t their thing after all. Maybe it was that right now is not their time to take on a intense program. Or maybe they did graduate…and now they have a whole tool shed of knowledge and resources that they have learned and used and is now ready to be used. Cause I’m telling you expecialy with the team I work with they never leave with just a tool box of tools or a belt….. nope a whole shed.
I am still amazed some days at what some students say about those that have helped them. From the TA’s to the instructors and even other students someone can always learn something. I had 1 student that 2 weeks into the 8 week course of Python that I was teaching had finished all the assignments and took the exam…and passed. But every office hour and lecture he still showed up. Offered help if he could or better yet told me later still ended up learning something from me.
If you had asked me 3 years ago where I saw myself, teaching web development would have NEVER been on the list. Today I couldn’t be prouder or happier. I have a job I love, where I get to work with amazing people, I get to change peoples lives, I get to have fun, and do something that I love.
Now why would this be a blog worthy post? Because in my continuing journey as we Web Developer I too and still learning, but better yet I want anyone who reads this to know that it is ok to look for a job you will enjoy. Does it need to pay well? Honestly? Nope not if you enjoy the work. Should it? Well it certainly wouldn’t hurt. But find your passion. Find a job you can do that keeps that passion alive. It might end up being something you never expected it to be. And if your lucky, it even pays well.