## Professional Story

I stumbled into tech on accident. After taking the MCAT to fulfill my lifelong dream of going to medical school, I suddenly
realized that becoming a physician was the only real career path I had ever really considered, coming from a healthcare-based family.
Right on the precipice of this incredible journey I had been preparing for my entire life, I suddenly realized that I didn't want to
actually be a physician. I loved the science, that you worked with your hands and people, but I had never considered other career
paths that would fulfill those needs. After that realization, I did the only thing I could think of and enrolled in all Art courses
the following semester. A complete 180, that should have felt more jarring than it did, but I love challenges, so it felt really great.
Though the focus of my life shifted drastically, I realized what I was looking for was a new challenge. Going to medical
school would obviously be difficult, but it didn't feel foreign or like I was tackling something new rather than a continuation
of a path I was working towards for 10 years.

Within the art department, I ended up focusing on Graphic Design. I was yearbook editor of my highschool, and had previous experience
with the Adobe Creative Suite. But more than the actual love of creating designs, I really loved the idea of the lifestyle it
would afford me. So many areas of work require graphic or web design to some degree, so it felt a lot more flexible for whatever
life I would want in the future, compared to medicine.

After a few years finishing school and working in the tech-scene of Arkansas, I moved to Denver to accept a position as a
web designer for a small tech-based marketing agency called the Tiber Group. At this agency, I acquired a lot of incredible skills
such as project and design-team management. The experience was incredible and demanding, but after a few years there, I felt like
there was not anyone above me that could continue teaching me or facilitating my professional growth. I was at a crossroads of
whether to accept another design-based postion at a larger company, or to add to my tech skillset. Upword movement in the design track is much slower, and I am
someone that needs to feel challenged to stay engaged. Thus, I decided to add to my skills and acquire front-end engineering knowledge.

I feel most creative now, because I feel like I finally can see a project from its inception and now through it's creation and execuiton.
As I go through this program, I can feel my design and project management skills click into my new found development skills.
I feel like for the first time, the whole picture is starting to make sense, and now more than ever I feel more freedom in my career path.