Road Trip Nation

Tim had an interest in hacking and rebuilding things. He even changed his major several times before he decided to become a security consultant. His prior experience opened up opportunities for similar roles. Brent viewed this interest as a hobby and didn't have a degree in computer science. He was more involved in graphic design then moved up to building websites and noticed that there wasn't much security involved. He slowly made that part his job. I like that his experience was seen as qualification and he didn’t need the degree to be considered.

Tim still gets excited over breaking through security because it allows him to be more creative and there's no risk in getting arrested. This is really great because those really experienced malicious hackers will have their own creative tricks as well. He can really help these companies increase their security. It's a constant learning experience especially with new software and different things to go after.

Lillie's career is an IT Architect. She ended up majoring in computer science because she liked logic and the challenges. She had a variety of interests that helped me narrow down to science and math. She believed she didn't have to limit her career choices because she thought these two subjects could translate to others. Lillie wanted to get something out of each learning experience. She was willing to try new things to keep her interested. Her definition of success depends on the individual and how they took from it. She thinks we can help each other with technology and using information from it.

Omoju is currently a Software Technologist. Her focus was on computer science and education. She grew up without a constant supply of power and that forced her to go into this inventing mode to get keep occupied. She discovered the internet in the late 90's and that gave her enough ideas to get inspired over to switching to computer science from accounting. She followed her dreams because she loved it and had the courage to do it. Omoju wanted to go to this conference but she was too scared because of her lack of experience.  She agrees you have to fail because it's part of the learning process. That's how you problem solve and improve.

I liked that every one of these interviews had a person from a different background and journey. They either had prior experience in their subject or completely lacked it. I've learned that it's never too late to change your interests and major. It's important to at least try a variety of things for the experience and then narrowing it down. It's okay to not feel confident in what you are doing but you have to at least make some effort towards it. Baby steps will help you reach your goals and failure will make you come up with other ways to improve. I’ve already changed my major once and it’s making me happier than my previous one. I’m also scared of my lack of experience like Omoju was but I’m going to continue following my goals. I think any progress is better than not trying at all.