A story about a little girl, eventually finding her passion.

Who I was, who I am now, who I want to be

Who I Was

I never understood the childhood most kids have. From as far as my memory goes back, all I could remember was going to tuition, golf practice, coding classes, swimming lessons, art lessons etc. My parents were the typical overachieving parents. Prepubescent Ashley always yearned for the days on the playground, running around while having dried, sticky ice cream stains all over her clothes and face. But, despite not having those "luxuries", I developed an immense passion for golf and programming, in a way children could be passionate about things. And just like many other children who changed their dream occupation every month or so, I slowly grew apart from my adoration for programming. Adoloscent Ashley started going against her parent's will, she loved sports, so that was all she did, really. I was competitive, in every sense, I had to be on top of everything. So, classes and golf became my main focus. Back then, programming were considered a nerdy acivity by my peers. And sadly, I cared too much for their opinions.

Who I Am Now

Information Technology as a major wasn't unexpected of me. After getting in touch with the online world of learning, I had so many ideas of what I could do with this major. When starting college in this track, I never expected to lose my interest in pursuing a career in IT just as I barely touched any of the courses that are meant for my major. I guess it was the impatience for the many Gen Eds I had to take, the pressure of having to balance my studies and my roles as a NCAA D1 Student-Athlete. My practices, tournaments, homework and class made me want to give up on my dream career. The thought of a future in this career stressed me out constantly. Fast forward to my junior year, I began taking classes meant for my major and I was so fortunate to have a professor who was truly amazing in every way. Her classes sparked that snuffed-out fire for coding within me again. I was determined to make this work out. With her teachings in mind, I found myself, the 9-year-old me, who would get so excited to go to a programming camp. Then, began the spiral of many late-night coding sessions. I was addicted to the adrenaline rush continuously coding gave me. With a tight group of friends who made the coding experience so much better, I discovered (yet again) why I want to pursue a career in Information Technology. I thought to myself "There will never be a future better than the one I have in mind, the one where I look back at my choices and applaud myself." And that future heavily involves the field of Information Technology.

Who I Want To Be

Although the thought of a future in the ever-so evolving industry scares me, I find that with every step I take towards my goal, the more strength and excitement it gives me. Every day, I push myself to be a little more courageous, a little more productive. All this, just to have a life that I will adore and be content in. I want many things in life. I want to be able to do things I love, eat all the different foods in the world, watch the sun set from different places. I want to grow with the industry, I want to grasp onto every opportunity it gives me, I want to be pushed by the constant growth of this industry. I want to be a role model that I could tell my grandkids about one day, and have them feel immensely proud of me. I want to look back at everything I did and say "My adventure has been very fruitful", and smile.