My introduction to computers was uniquely early, considering I was about 9 years old and it was the early 80’s. I remember when my dad bought our first PC, the lovely sounds of the modem, and playing online games and meeting people in bulletin boards as I got older.

My first job after college involved my learning how to create rudimentary websites with HTML from scratch. Those were the days!

But my path in life took me in a different direction than computer science for the next 30 plus years. I went on to become a substitute teacher, a copywriting and editing business owner, a law school student, a single-mother-by-choice, and more.

I’m the quintessential “Jack of all trades,” though I firmly believe it’s better than being a “master of one.”

So here I was, at 44 years old, finding it harder to get freelance copywriting clients, and still without a steady career. My daughter decided to join Girls Who Code, and being the kind of mother I am, I thought I should learn coding to both help and keep up with her.

I started teaching myself Web development through various free online courses. I couldn’t afford a bootcamp, and my credit didn’t allow me to get financing.

I heard about Android development while flailing around the web of online courses, and stumbled across a free Android sampler. Shortly after, I found Udacity’s scholarship application. I signed up under the Android program, not imagining I’d be accepted, but I was! Thus began my journey into Android development, and my first step toward realizing I might actually want a career in tech.

This first scholarship was a short intro to Android, though the lessons were part of the nanodegree. I was then lucky enough to be awarded a second scholarship, and I found myself in the Android Basics Nanodegree program.

What’s scary for me, both while taking the course and after finishing it, is thinking about the job market.

Tech is very young, white, and male. I’m now 45, Black, and female.

But that’s also what pushes me. I know I have a story to tell, I have life experiences that make me strong, and I can be a role model for others who may think they can’t learn tech.

Even while I’m firmly in the sandwich generation, with a father who has Alzheimer’s and an aging mother on one side, and a daughter in middle school on the other side, I still found the time and the drive to study.

Some days I was unemployed and had all the time in the world to study, but tons of worries about my financial situation. Other days I was working at a temporary gig, helping my daughter with homework after work, and I still found the energy to finish the Android Basics nanodegree.

I’m not going to lie. I almost gave up a few times.

I’ve always been smart — I was in gifted classes in my grade school days, I went to a high school for gifted kids, and I went to a top university and easily got into law school.

But Android wasn’t intuitive. I found myself actually struggling at times, and that’s not something I’m used to feeling. But I kept going.

And I started to love Android! I loved when I was able to figure out why an error was happening and actually fix it. I loved being able to help fellow students from time to time. Best of all, I loved finishing a project app and getting it approved by the Udacity reviewers. Android started to get fun and interesting. Udacity’s video teachers were thorough and funny, so when I didn’t get a concept, I could rewatch a video and even laugh a little through the frustration.

Now that I’ve finished my nanodegree, I know just enough to realize I STILL don’t know Android development! There’s so much more, and I feel like I’m behind. I’ve been studying diligently since I finished, going back over concepts I didn’t get, and I’ve started a reading a book and taking more Udacity courses.

I’m determined to get a job as an Android developer and finally live the financially healthy life my family needs and deserves.