Growing up in Myanmar, I was always passionate about engineering and architecture, largely inspired by my uncle(an architect engineer), who was the only educated person I knew back then. Despite this passion, circumstances led me to medical school, a journey I didn't enjoy. I had serious doubts about my path, attempting to quit twice during my academic years and once after becoming a doctor. However, I met my wife during this time, which turned out to be the best & highlight of this journey. Consequently, I don’t regret joining medical school. After moving to the UK to join her via a Spouse Visa, I attempted to join the NHS, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out at the final stage. This setback, coupled with unemployment, being a stay-at-home husband, and the onset of the pandemic, had a significant impact on my mental health; 2020 was the toughest year of my life.

Determined to overcome these challenges, I took up jobs in retail in 2021 and grocery in 2022. I decided to pursue a career that genuinely excited me and resonated with my initial passion for problem-solving and creation: programming. I dedicated my free time to learning programming, self-studying using resources like Harvard's CS50, freeCodeCamp, Udemy, etc. However, with no one around to ask for help as I came from a different background and being entirely new to the tech community, I found myself stuck in “Tutorial Hells,” frequently experiencing Imposter Syndrome every now and then but still learning alone with little progress. I then discovered Founders and Coders (FAC) through the GOV.UK website and was inspired by the story of how it was founded by Dan. I aspired to be one of those who have succeeded through this programme.

Since May 2023, I’ve pushed myself out of my comfort zone by regularly and actively participating in FAC meetups. I’ve felt more alive and productive since joining these meetups, started to build real projects not just tutorials, and my learning curve has increased exponentially due to peer-to-peer learning. I even built my very first game, which was a challenging task for me, especially as I am more of an outdoors person. I find joy and a sense of belonging in the coding community, something I didn't find in medicine. I often find myself in a flow state while coding and sometimes lose track of time, which I thoroughly enjoy. To quote my senior, Manoela, from FAC25, who transitioned from being a primary school teacher to a developer, "I want to be HAPPY & TIRED" too by doing what I love. I still remember one of the PowerPoint slides from my first FAC meetup on 23rd May stating, "We're not looking for perfect applications, we're looking for effort, commitment, and a solid understanding of basic Javascript." So, I tried not to miss any FAC meetups on Tuesdays and LIFT meetups on Wednesdays. Now, I think I've become one of those applicants. I'm not perfect yet, but with my eagerness to learn new things, adaptability, flexibility, effort, and commitment, I am ready to turn this passion into a professional career.