Finally, last day of sales: How did I get here?

Congrats to @jterrell who I met via Twitter when I first started this journey and who just got a job in web design in Chicago.

Four and a half years go I started work at Tech Data (TD), a Global IT Distributor. My original goal was to obtain a position in the financial realm, but was met with many hurdles due to the financial crisis. Even though I held a degree I was unable to get into a position in the Tampa Bay area, and I had no intention of being a bank teller.

I eventually just took a data entry job at TD so I could gain professional experience until the right position opened up, but during that time of working in my menial job I found that I lost interest in finance and the hope to eventual get into a position in finance. I actually spent most of my days cruising through sites like the Verge, Endgadget, and watching TWIT live while at work. I also lots of time researching my next career step, which I knew had to be sales.

Within TD there is a department call Product Marketing, handles the Vendor liaisons between customers and the customers within the distribution channel. I spent months studying that department and introducing myself to decision makers within the company. The position is unique because not only does is have a sales component but it also a had a component of being knowledgeable in the IT field. I knew I was wasting my talent in the data entry position, and hoped to gain experience in IT to eventually become somebody. I eventually interviewed and gained a position without any sales experience, but gained that valuable sells experience on the job, the same experience that I used to network my way into a Rails position today.

I am in no way an expert at web development and I definitely have heaps to learn. When I presented myself in the interview I had no reservations in presenting myself as that, a compulsive learner. Today I have trouble remembering whether to use a hash or a simple array in a ruby newbie problem, or whether or not to place functionality in the index method or show method of the controller, but I know that with my hard work that will become trivial in the few months. My eyes are always set on bigger and better and I look forward to learning not only Rails, but the new Swift lang, and also mastering Front-End with Angular or Ember.

The next 3 months are going to really exciting and I look forward to what is in store.

For those interested I want to also share the job description for the position I obtained. I do not have extensive experience on all of the below, but what I showed was I had the ability to learn quickly and consistently. If you have been learning a language in your free time as I did, set goals for yourself and give your self a timeline. This position required 1+ years of experience, which I obviously do not have, but what I did have was measurable goals of where I wanted to be as a developer in 1+ years. I hope to gain experience on the job, just as I did in sales.

Do not delay, make your goals today.

Primary Responsibilities for a Software Engineer

• Develop and maintain features using Ruby on Rails
• Know your way around our databases, optimizing queries and diagnosing issues as they arise
• Write (good) unit and functional tests
• Reproduce and fix application errors and unexpected behaviors reported by internal users and external customers
• Work with the product owner to nail down the best solutions to development problems and business requirements
• Set deadlines and communicate often about progress toward those goals

The company I begin working I begin working with in 2 weeks is IZEA and yes they are hiring. After today I will be studying extremely hard and working hard packing and moving, as well as visiting family. I am not sure how available I will be on the internet but still reach out and give me a reason to stay in touch. 

As always thanks for reading.