November 04, 2015
Earlier this year, I decided to make a big career shift. To help with this transition, I enrolled in Dev Bootcamp, an intensive training program that teaches fundamentals of full-stack web development.
I wrote several posts about my experience during the nine-week remote portion of the program, and I arrived in Manhattan for the onsite portion in mid-August. For the two weeks that I was there, I did nothing but learn and write code with great people. I loved it.
Then, out of nowhere, my mother suddenly passed away. She was young, healthy, and easily the sweetest, most compassionate, and most loving person I’ve ever known—an awesome mom and amazing human being. I miss her every day.
I’d never experienced anything like this before, and there’s no guidebook on how to handle everything that comes with it. Still, it was clear that it was best to just be with my family, take care of each other, and set everything else aside for a while.
So, two months later, I’m back in Philadelphia. I withdrew from Dev Bootcamp immediately, and despite an excellent experience there, I just don’t see myself packing up to return to New York anytime soon. That was just one of many paths, and I’m certain I’ll find another. It will all work out.
If you can, call your mother.
