In 1999 I went to school for Instrumentation & Control Technology, took some tech support roles, but I didn't want to work strictly with hardware and coding wasn't a formal education option in my area. I used my skills for office administration and finance, eventually opening my own B2B consulting and tax business. 

When I turned 40, I realized I put in long hours for work that I enjoyed, but wasn't really passionate about. That day, I set a goal to cut down on tasks that weren't tech related, build my coding skills, and complete my education. Between 2020-2021, I brushed up on HTML and CSS skills, cut down my work load, registered for classes, and completed some online certifications to refresh my existing knowledge and learn new skills. I joined Tech Twitter, ZTM, networked with other tech professionals, and reignited my love of code, despite being waitlisted for a year from formal education.

Now it's 2022 and I'm self-employed, have two children in virtual school, I'm starting formal education in the fall, and I'm committing the next two years to following my dreams to do what I love full time.