Connecting the Dots
Problem solving is a key skill shared between software engineers and food inspectors. In both professions, I am responsible for identifying and resolving complex issues that arise.
During my time as a food inspector, I frequently investigated how to improve the food safety system of a restaurant’s operations. Similarly, as a software engineer, I am often tasked with finding and fixing bugs in code or improving the performance of a software application.
In both roles, I have had to approach problems systematically, analyze data, and think critically to find the best solutions. The shared skill of problem solving has been instrumental in my transition from food inspection to software engineering, and I believe it is one of the reasons I am successful in my current role.
2017 — 2020
My professional career began as a Health Inspector for the local county government. Protecting communities from food-borne illnesses and collaborating with new restaurants to operate safely. My work ethic led me to being elected as regional vice-president of the Washington State Environmental Health Association to represent my colleagues. This experience has given me a unique perspective on problem-solving and collaboration that I practice as a new software engineer.
Fact: I inspected the Everett Boeing Manufacturing Plant, with nearly 20+ restaurants the amount of employees served is around 40,000 per meal service. I served as the government contact for large-scale operational changes in food service.
2020 — 2022
I found myself with extra time during 2020. I decided to leave Public Health and take a leap to pursue my budding interest in programming. My local community college provided courses in Java, where I started to write my first software bugs. Immediately, I found my budding interest grew into an obsession for open source software and Python.
Fact: I am the unfairly appointed family help desk technician after I dismantled an IBM Aptiva E Series computer at age 7. Connecting printers, troubleshooting tickets, and defragmenting hard drives was my house chore.
In 2022, I earned a Graduate Certificate in Software Development and Engineering from the University of Washington. This is a 9 month immersive program designed to teach professionals with college degrees to pivot into a tech career. I gained valuable experience with Python, Docker, data structures and algorithms, Git, and building software as a group. Additionally, I completed the CodePath Intermediate Software Engineering program, where I worked on improving my technical interview skills.
Fact: I participated in my first competitive coding competition at ACM-ICPC during the certificate program. Our team "HALT_CATCH_FIRE" ranked 7th out of 42 in Washington State.
2022 — Present
The current job market has been intimidating to be honest. During this hiring season, I have been developing my skills and building projects that are interesting to me. Networking at local hackathons and challenging myself at online coding competitions to have fun. You can find me at local events at Microsoft Reactor. I have applied to 400+ jobs.
Fact: I have competed in Google CodeJam 2023, ServiceNow: Code for America 2022, and Hacktoberfest 2022.