Wait, Why Are You Here?

I am a student at Milwaukee Area Technical College, enrolled in two Associate Degree programs: IT Web and Software Developer, and IT Mobile Applications Developer.  Since I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Technology from UW-Stout, a common question I get is “Why did you switch to IT and decide to go back to school?”  I worked in the field of energy consulting as an energy engineer.  What would possess someone to leave that work behind and start a new career?  It’s a great question and one I’m no stranger to answering.

I could make this topic pretty lengthy, but the short answer to that question is passion and opportunity.  Like most IT folks, I have a passion for working with computers.  It began as a hobby in high school (does anybody remember what a LAN party is?), was set aside during my college years (no time!), and resurfaced in the years that followed.  Eventually I convinced myself that beginning a new career in something I loved was worth pursuing.

There’s also tremendous opportunity available in software development, in both the demand for jobs and the compensation available.  Software developers are consistently ranked among the most in-demand jobs, and the pay range can be pretty significant as well.  It’s not uncommon to hear about developers getting multiple job offers per month.  Having a skill set that is in such high demand provides great job security and gives you more flexibility to choose your career path.

Once I made the decision to learn programming, the next question to answer was “Where will I go?”  I rather quickly dismissed the option of a bachelor’s degree.   The wonderful thing about computer programming is that, unlike many other professions, having the appropriate skills matters much more than what type of degree you have or where it’s from.  I knew that an Associate’s Degree would quickly provide me with the skills I desired, so I knew a technical college was what I wanted. 

An important aspect for me was flexibility; I needed to be able to fit school in while working full-time.  MATC provided the option of offering the entire degree online.  I could go to night classes when able to, and take classes online when that wasn’t an option.  I should also note that the cost of going to a tech school is considerably less than going to a four year college.  While this wasn’t a deciding factor in my decision, it has certainly been a tremendous help.

It’s already apparent to me that deciding to go back to school for software development has been one of the best decisions of my life.  I’m currently working full-time in an entry-level support role and am eager for what lies ahead.  I look forward to taking the next step professionally in my career.