Background

My name is Christian Bain. Soccer was my entire life up until I graduated from college 3 months ago. I played club soccer starting at the age of 8. I played up a year, against older kids. I played in the most competitive league in the state. I participated in ODP (olympic development program) and represented the state of Utah in tournaments. I was invited to a week long camp where the top 36 players in the region (western US) competed for a spot on the region team. I played high school varsity, won state my senior year and was named Gatorade Player of the Year for the State of Utah. I then played college soccer for BYU for 5 years, winning 3 national championships, captaining the team for 2 of them.

Soccer was the biggest thing in my life.

College

In college, I began studying Mechanical Engineering, but quickly discovered it was not for me. I tried a few other majors and eventually landed on Computer Science. The idea of programming got me excited and I loved the idea that I could build anything that I could think of (given I learned the skills). So I officially changed my major and started down that path.

From the get-go, it was INTIMIDATING. A vast majority of the kids in my classes had years of programming experience and spent hours on their computers. They were so much "smarter" than me. Many kids would even code in their free time. modding games or programming raspberry pi's (what the heck was that anyway?). I was the complete opposite. I was the kid who only knew how to use Microsoft Word and the occasional Excel formula. I was completely new to programming and all of my free time was spent playing soccer or with friends. Programming was not may main idea of "fun".

Going through the major was difficult as many teachers assumed I knew certain aspects about computers and CS. The command-line was something very foreign to me, and was barely taught. Other students would be talking about things I had never heard of and how they were building these cool applications with their friends. Here I was, just barely able to turn in my assignments (with tons of help from the TA's and fellow classmates).

There was one distinct class that seriously made me think about quitting and just doing a CS minor, finding something else as a major. After talking to some friends who had already graduated and had jobs, I decided to stick it out (or fail it out, whichever came first).

Trying to find an internship

Finishing up my Junior year, I needed to try and find an internship for the summer. I had ZERO professional experience in the tech industry, especially as most of my previous jobs were soccer-related. I applied to probably 100 different companies for an intern role. I have always considered myself a successful and resourceful person, one who works with others very well and gets stuff done efficiently. My soccer experience gave me really good people skills, but I was not very capable at technical interviews and leetcode problems. Very few got back to me. I got an interview for a part-time job at a good company through a referral, but I completely bombed the interview. I wasn't sure if I was going to find one.

Another company reached out and said they wanted to interview me. I hadn't even remembered applying to this specific company because I had applied to so many places. I barely got through the technical interview, but passed nonetheless. The other interviews were easy for me and I was offered the internship (which I gratefully accepted!).

I worked as an intern during the summer and loved my experience. The company was phenomenal and the leadership helped me grow so much. My programming skills strengthened and I felt much more confident as a developer. At the end of my internship, I was offered a full-time position after graduation. I gladly accepted!

Full-time Software Engineer

I graduated 3 months ago and have been working full-time for 2 months as a software engineer. I am learning so much each week from my team members and leaders. Honestly it is sometimes hard to believe that I got through it and landed such a great job. Anyone who sticks with it can do it!