I can’t believe it has been 5 years since my first blog post. And, wow… how things have changed. I originally started a blog to practice writing. I still have a desire to write a book. I keep on having more and more fictional inspirations that I will write down and store for later. Writing is difficult, and I admire anyone that can sit down and actually finish writing a book.
Besides my desire for writing a book, 5 years ago I was in a completely different… world. 5 years ago I was a new father, a CAD Designer looking to go back to school for engineering, and in a toxic relationship that I stupidly fought for, for way to long. Now I am 6 weeks in at Flatiron school bootcamp, well on my way to becoming a Software Engineer! I am married and have two kids. Life is good. How did I get here?
It’s crazy to think about the past, decisions you have made. Maybe ones that you wish you hadn’t made or ones that you’re glad you made. Either way, the passing of time can be a strange experience at times. My life has been full of its “ups and downs” so to speak. I used to be a very pessimistic person, hiding under the guise of optimism. I am always hard on myself when meeting with the helping hand of failure. I say helping hand.. This is a lesson that took me a long time to learn. Failure is one of the best experiences that life can give you. It’s how you adapt and learn from it. It is life’s Teacher.
I have had many jobs as a drafter/CAD designer, and I enjoyed it for the most part. The love for coding and problem solving that I found steered me away from my engineering ambitions. It is still a subject that fascinates me, but I don’t think it is something that I would want to do as a career.
I have also tried my hand at other things. My dad was an Air Traffic Controller. This was something that amazed me as a kid. I remember my Mom and siblings going to the Tower to meet him for lunch and being able to look at all the instruments that they use and the planes flying in. It was an incredible experience. Mind you, this was before 9/11 and then security got extremely tight, and we had to take a step back from the adventures in the “tower”. My dad encouraged me to take a test to see if I qualified for air traffic control “school”. I don’t like studying… It is not my forte. So like most tests I would take, lol, I winged it. I made a 94, which then my dad proceeded to reply, “well that isn’t a 97″…. Which was what he made on it back in the day. I think I get my sarcastic humor from my dad lol.
Anyways, long story short, even with a high test score I didn’t make the cut. This was disappointing to say the least. I was looking forward to following in my dad footsteps. From there I just continued my career within the Engineering field. I learned a lot from some amazing engineers. You might think that you are intelligent, until you work next to some truly “genius” level individuals. It was a really humbling experience, and motivating as well.
After going through a really bad break up with before mentioned toxic relationship, I was in a dark place. I had been laid off multiple times over a 3 year period, had to move back in with my parents (something that feels humiliating at my age), and lost the person, who at the time I thought was the “one”. If you are not a stranger to the feelings of depression, you can probably imagine how I felt. It took a long while, and my close friends being there for me to pull myself out of it. I remember some days sleeping for 16 hours straight and then still not wanting to get out of bed. It was a tough time.
Life throws you curve balls. You just need to learn how to hit it. There are good times and bad, but thats what makes life, well.. LIFE. After going through all of these “dark” times, I met the real love of my life. I say met, but actually I’ve known her all of my life! It’s crazy how life works out sometimes. I married my best friends older sister, who I had a crush on since I was like 7 years old. (high five!) There is a lot of history between our families. My best friend was actually named after my dad. My dad and my wifes dad were best friends growing up. I couldn’t be happier and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.
I am now in the Software Engineering program at Flatiron school. It is tough! It is tough, but rewarding. I have learned so much in a short period of time and I am loving every moment of this journey. I have made good friends and met some amazing people. I look forward to writing some more and keeping you apprised of my progress, accomplishments, and even failures.
~ Peace, Mitchell
Simply Mitch 