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I have been instructed by Holberton School of Software Engineering to write and publish an essay on Medium that specifically answers two questions: Why do I want to become a software

engineer, and why do I want to attend Holberton School? These seemingly simple and logical questions are included in the first part of Holberton’s software engineering(SE) program

application, and I will answer them within the following essay. Holberton’s first question can easily be answered as I have numerous reasons for wanting to become a software engineer. During

the past two years, I have come to a career crossroads in my life and what used to make sense as a logical career path no longer completely satisfies my list of career desires. Included in

this list are three important points that I believe to be unobtainable, or highly unlikely to take place, on my current career path. The first point is my strong desire to be part of

industry that is at the forefront of technology now, and is expected to remain in that position for the foreseeable future. To date, I have been involved in the healthcare technology field

for approximately ten years, both as a both as a biomedical technician and as a biomedical manager, and while the field is highly technology oriented, medical technology itself has a history

of being slow to develop and is often behind the pace of other technological fields. At this point, I am working to transition to a career field lying on the cusp of of technology rather

than the tail; not strictly for the sake of my career, but because I have a strong desire to learn and be immersed in new technology in my personal life as well. The fact, I believe, is that

SE is, and will be, on a technological apex for years to come, and I would like to be included. This leads to my second reason for wanting to be a SE, which is my strong desire to learn,

understand, participate in, and, eventually, manage SE projects from inception to end user delivery and beyond. Having already taken time to familiarize myself with some of the basics of

software engineering and completing a small online practice project in object oriented programming, I believe that with the right education and a strong range of experience, I will have the

ability to manage SE projects in totality. As a professional, I have many completed projects under my belt, and few things in one’s career are as satisfying as seeing a project through to

success. The last significant point on my list of career desires is the ability to work in a career field that offers the option of telecommuting. Though this option is offered in many other

career fields and may sound insignificant to some, the availability of telecommuting-eligible positions in the SE industry is exciting to me. Not only is this non-option in my current

career field, but due to the nature of on-site duties required by the position, a very minimal chance exists that it ever will be eligible for telecommuting. As someone who highly

appreciates multiple options in all areas of life, this static lack of telecommuting in healthcare technology does not agree with my personality. In response to the question of why I want to

attend Holberton for my SE education, I believe that Holberton has designed an intriguing alternative to both traditional SE curriculums and programming boot camps. From my research, the

school’s two year program appears to provide a recipe for student success that rivals programs at traditional schools, such as UPenn and ASU, that I had been researching. Admittedly, I had

already settled on one school in particular and was about to begin the application process at multiple institutions when, during one of my forays into curriculum research, I came across

Holberton School of Software Engineering, which, in retrospect, would not have stood out to me except for the fact that I noticed it offered a two year program coupled with a traditional

internship. Although attending an alternative SE program, such as a boot camp, had not initially appealed to me for multiple reasons, my curiosity had been piqued, and after taking time to

understand Holberton’s approach to designing a functionality focused SE program and researching the school’s cumulative success with past student batches, it it seemed as though Holberton’s

unique, full immersion-style curriculum and learning environment were preparing its students to be successful engineers. In particular, I agreed with with Holberton’s assertions that

students should learn all facets of SE from the back end to the front, and from the most basic of programming languages to the more complex, and that connecting with others already in the SE

field during one’s course of study, and obtaining a solid internship during the program, are some of the best ways of ensuring student success. This type of hands on curriculum, as opposed

to the more theoretical programs that tend to dominate traditional schools, became more sensible the more I researched it. Equally impressive to me is the fact that Holberton does not

require students to begin paying tuition for its program until after successfully completing it and obtaining an actual job in the SE industry. This highlights two important variables in

Hoberton’s argument that it provides a solid, marketable product that rivals traditional programs. One, that Holberton’s administration strongly believes in its curriculum and, thus, its

students ability to successfully enter the job market post graduation, and, two, that the school is willing to back up its product by putting its money where its mouth is. When there are few

guarantees in today’s collegiate academic programs, this is the type of warranty I am willing to strongly consider. To me, software engineering offers an exciting path to career change that

will allow me to achieve particular career goals that I do not believe attainable in my current field. I want to be part of leading technological industry, attain the ability to manage all

facets of SE projects, and have the option of telecommuting. None of which are reachable goals in my field of healthcare technology now, nor will they be in the forthcoming future. As for

Holberton School of Software Engineering, I believe it offers an alternative program that provides a unique, immersive, functionality based program that develops marketable skills in its

students. This, coupled with a success oriented tuition payment program that is sensible in today’s higher education market, make up the bulk of considerable reasons to attend Holberton for

my SE education.