Having made a few blogs in the past, what started to dawn on me when creating this one is that I have never made an introduction post or "about me" section before. Whether or not these sorts of posts are something most people care about is beside the point. I find it nice to have some knowledge of who I'm consuming content from; be it from a blog, YouTube channel, Twitter account, etc. I feel like it adds a layer of familiarity when a creator sheds some light on themselves rather than being strictly focused on their content. That sense of openness is what this post is meant to create, as well as talking about what to expect from the blog as a whole.

A Brief Background

So, who am I? As you can guess (if you read the author section), I'm Tyrell Thomas. I've had a keen interest in technology for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I tinkered with as many electronics as I could get my hands on. TV remotes, DVD players, VCRs, stereos, iPods, and eventually computers. Spending time on computers has become something of a passion for me, surpassed only by my love for writing.

As of writing this, I have been unemployed for a little over a year, with some short-lived jobs here and there. This is because I decided to take a break from college to clear my head and eventually return at a later time. My initial plan was to work for a year and come back this upcoming Fall semester, but things didn't work out in my favor. Since I went back home to my family, my unemployment woes were as annoying to my Mother as they were to me. Every once in a while, she would encourage me to look for an IT job, saying something along the lines of "you're already good with computers. Might as well make money from it." Though the idea did interest me, I would brush it off as I wanted to remain hopeful that I'd be hired for something soon. That and because my understanding of "IT" at the time was limited to thinking tech support was the only job in the field.

Embarking on the Tech Journey

Enter June of 2023. I started working a warehouse job. In the days leading up to my first workday, I was extensively researching the tech industry and ways to enter the field in the cheapest way possible. I had to use the process of elimination in that. My major in college was English, so it wasn't likely I'd be accepted for a computer science-related internship. Already, that rules out college and internships. The next option would be a coding bootcamp, which wouldn't be ideal due to their hefty prices. Then there are the CompTIA certificates; namely the CompTIA A+. Even though it's the industry gold standard, I decided against it because of the steep price for the exam alone. Finally, I stumbled upon something interesting: Google's IT Support Professional Certificate program on Coursera.

With me not having a stable source of income for a year, a cheap but effective option was more desirable. Before starting it, I researched the program as best as I could for a little over a week. Actively spending my free time searching for personal anecdotes, success stories, failure stories, pros and cons, etc. Ultimately, I decided to go through with the program as there wasn't much to lose and it could still be good to have on my resume.

The price is about $50 per month, but Coursera offers a 7-day free trial. I figured I could use the trial period to see if the program was something I should commit to. From the first few lessons, I knew I was hooked. Everything was well-made and concise in such a way a layman without any technical experience could understand it. I started writing this a few hours after I completed the first course, Technical Support Fundamentals, and earned my first certificate. I plan on going into more detail about the course in a future post, so stay tuned for that.

Due to becoming more and more overwhelmed at my warehouse job, I decided to quit in early July. I was bummed at first, but in hindsight, it was probably for the best. I was working long, 12-hour shifts on weekends. This schedule made me feel drained during the week and I would never get much done. It was difficult to allocate time toward daily tasks and keep up with the IT program. Since leaving, I'm not as exhausted and I can devote more time to my learning.

Exploring Tech Pathways

While researching the IT course, I also looked into the different tech careers and fields. This was to broaden how I view IT as a career in a larger industry rather than thinking it was only tech support. Early into my research, I think I already knew I wanted to ultimately work as a software developer. In high school, I had a computer science class that gave me hands-on experience with Python, though I had practically forgotten everything I learned except for how to make variables and print messages. Because of this, I started teaching myself Python in my free time while looking for ways to break into the tech industry.

I was using various sources like YouTube tutorials, Python's official documentation, Mimo, Sololearn, and even ChatGPT. For ChatGPT, I decided to experiment with it a little. I made it create a sort of "Python for Beginners" course. I haven't touched it in a while, but I kept notes of it for future reference. Later on, I started to learn C# since I felt it would be better suited for some projects I want to make in the future. I'm still learning both and I'm more comfortable with Python than I am with C#.

I discovered technical writing as I looked more into the different tech careers. Of course, I was already familiar with popular outlets like Tom's Hardware, CNET, The Verge, and Digital Trends, but I never put much thought into how one writes for these sites. Technical writing is something that captured my interest due to my creative writing background and the idea of writing about tech seems like something I'd be interested in. The more writing-focused side of tech is something I gravitate toward more than anything. Whether it's writing documentation, guides, tutorials, or even code; I believe going into a career that uses my writing abilities in some way is where I'd like to be.

What Is This Blog For?

I created this blog to chronicle and publicize my journey into the tech world. I would like to be able to show that it is possible to enter the industry as someone who didn't get a degree in computer science, coded for years and built a decent portfolio from that, or even knew they wanted to enter the field since they were in elementary school. This blog will document my journey as an aspiring IT professional, with a focus on software development/programming.

While not a major focus, I would like to write reviews of the things that help me along the way, like the Google course I'm taking, books, apps, and programs, as well as the occasional unrelated-to-my-journey tech review. It's also likely that I'll share my thoughts on current tech trends and news. Additionally, I'd love to provide tutorials on topics I'm passionate about that I believe aren't covered well by the big outlets.

Final Thoughts

Most of what I could find from people doing a "getting into IT" or "how I became a programmer" thing is rarely from the perspective of someone truly starting from nowhere. They might have worked as a developer for a few years by that point or had just graduated from college. While I've had somewhat of a head start, I would like this blog to document my journey from zero to hero. I'm sure there are others interested in working in the tech industry, so I hope this blog will be of use to those who are in a similar position as I am. Especially if I find success somehow and get hired!

Thank you for taking the time to read about my journey thus far. Whether you're a fellow aspiring IT professional, a seasoned tech enthusiast, or someone just curious about the field, I'd love to hear from you! Be sure to share your thoughts, experiences, or questions in the comments. See you in the next post!