Started from a young age

My software development journey began in my early high school years when I downloaded the Android Studio IDE. I had a soundboard app idea and thought I could make some easy money releasing something cool on the Google Play Store. I thought the whole thing would be a piece of cake. Code the app, release it, and profit. I learned immediately that it wasn't so simple. Instead of giving up, I placed the app idea on the backburner and completed smaller projects to work my way up to this level. I learned an important lesson from the experience: anything worth doing is not simple and achieving your goals requires resiliency and patience.

My high school's Introduction to Computer Science course was what jumpstarted my software development journey. It was here where I learned computer science concepts for the first time and learned my first programming language: Java. I became so engrossed in this course that I spent an entire month coding my final project, which was a Star Wars ship shooter game within a Java applet. I was lucky enough to have a very capable and supportive teacher who encouraged me to pursue this in university.

Studies in university

I pursued my bachelor's degree in computer science from Montclair State University from September 2017 to May 2021. I excelled in my studies here, finishing with a 3.85 overall GPA, being awarded Dean's List seven out of eight of my semesters, and graduating with magna cum laude. The courses I enjoyed the most during my time here included Database Systems, Mobile Computing, and Software Engineering.

Getting involved in university

It was around junior year that I realized that I wasn't all too involved with my university. One of the ways I remedied this feeling was through applying for a leadership position for my university's computer club. This landed me with a public relations position with the organization. This position required a lot of work, of course. I had to manage social media pages, draft announcements, organize workshops, and lead meetings. It was definitely worth it, though. I got to regularly network with students and feel that I was contributing to something.

What's next?

Now that I've officially graduated, I'm eager to start applying my skills in some type of software development position. I'd love to start in either front end or mobile app development and work my way into full stack development.