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Olivia Pandora Stokes
Olivia Pandora Stokes

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What's Next ➡️

I finished freeCodeCamp’s Responsive Web Design certification, so what’s next for me? At some point, I believed I would start studying JavaScript after I finished, with the goal of focusing on web development. Combining web development with my marketing skills was the plan.

However, during this time I’ve had several conversations, interviews, and considered what type of job I want. After working in the e-commerce space, my perspective had me thinking of ways I could use web development for e-commerce businesses. Business strategy + marketing + web dev seemed like the natural next step.

I’ve had a lot of time to consider what industry I want to work in and like many people early in their careers, I ended up with more questions than answers.

Where did I find my career guidance? Twitter, of course.

Seriously. I ended up interviewing with a cybersecurity training company I found via Twitter and that’s when things started to click. I didn’t get the job, but I realized the importance of cybersecurity. What I appreciate about cybersecurity is the proactive nature of it. How technology changes and those changes require us to continue to learn and solve problems in creative ways. When I went to cybersecurity events, I realized there were people who always studied cybersecurity and people who transitioned into the industry. And in cybersecurity, diversity is a strength because it helps us see problems from multiple perspectives.

With my new interest in cybersecurity and desire to continue increasing my technical skills, I chose Python as my next programming language. I’ve heard positive stories about Python from so many people and know it can be used in a variety of ways, including cybersecurity. I also hope to add some personal projects to my GitHub as a keep learning. Like before, I’m using freCodeCamp as my main learning resource. I’m also interested in the Security+ Certification as part of my cybersecurity learning.

As for my career, I’m currently applying and interviewing for a full-time job. My goal is to find a company where I can use my marketing experience, in addition to my technical skills. I think my next role will be involved with marketing; however, I hope to find a company that is involved in using innovative technology solutions. If you know about any job opportunities that fit that description, you can send me an email (I would greatly appreciate it).

My other goal is to keep writing updates as I continue to learn. I think this will keep me accountable and also serve as a good example of what I'm learning. I know programming can be overwhelming for people like me with non-technical backgrounds, but I also know it’s possible to learn and use.

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