Guest Speaker Arianna Ford, Programmer at West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
The West Virginia Coding Club started their Labor Day weekend off with a wonderful speaker, Arianna Ford. Arianna attended Lincoln County High School in West Virginia and pondered what her future career may be. Having enjoyed research through her schooling she decided to list out and apply metrics to all her potential future careers to determine her path forward.
She had to make this choice during a challenging time in our world, the COVID Global Pandemic, a time of much uncertainty. She wanted a career where she would be happy in her work life and allow her to also be happy in her home life. Once the research was completed, she found that becoming a coder / programmer checked every box and was the path to seek in education and for her career.
Once Arianna chose that direction, another question she encountered was how much education was needed to pursue her career choice, when she hadn't really had coding experience previously. She focused on an Associates Degree at BridgeValley Community and Technical College here in West Virginia. Her beginning was challenging, not having that previous preparation which ultimately brought her to a crossroads. At that point she renewed her commitment and decided to give it everything she had towards earning her degree. During college, she learned Python, C Sharp, and SQL.
After graduating, Arianna decided to seek out job opportunities and if not successful after a year she would go back to earn her Bachelor's degree. However, in a short time she found an opportunity at the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and has been there almost a year and loves it. She works with Powerbuilder, JavaScript, and SQL.
She works on a variety of programming efforts, helping to fix bugs, develop forms and primarily works individually but is part of a larger programming group. The most challenging aspect is the communication of understanding what staff want and then trying to understand what can be done within the construct of the programs.
Arianna's Advice to the WV Coding Club Students:
Do what makes you happy! If you aren't happy, then why are you doing it?
Try your hardest! If you want it, then why wouldn't you give it your all?
Ask for help, if you need it. Don't be afraid or too proud to ask for help.
President of the West Virginia Coding Club, Dan McElroy said, “We are thankful for Arianna’s time and insights for our West Virginia Coding Club students. Her enthusiasm and story help our students understand why they are learning about coding and the opportunity for the future. We particularly appreciate her comment that she wished that she had had this program when she was in high school.”
Thank you Arianna!
Keep Coding!