I was just thinking about how I never thought that I would fall back on being home schooled in my teens in terms of my profession. Now, I feel like I learned everything really important in my teens to build off of. For instance, my computer science classes I took on the side in early highschool with a local college were great, but my dads office was better. My dad had all of these old computers for me to take apart and put back together until it worked like brand new, and he also had books on books of all the computer coding languages. I really had a taste of the software world from college classes, my dad, and hands on participation before going off to university. The other thing that made me get ahead early, was my sister whom is seven years older than me had all these math video games, so I learned how to multiply and divide when she did, I did bigger math while I was still little. I thought I would use those skills to sort of pursue biomed things, but I really ended up falling back on software things. If all else fails, my easy thing to fall back on is math and software things my dad gives me, versus starting over in a different industry on the bottom. The other thing sort of like that is my violin, I started playing again. Instead of risk taking, I really fell back on everything that I already did and found ways to advance in them for my career and passions.

There really was not this new big thing, it was just building on all the old stuff, falling back on how self disciplined I always was, which is not what I really expected. Ada Lovelace was homeschooled too, I loved reading about her, she was one of my inspirations when I was sick and homeschooled. When I was first having heart problems at around the age of fifteen roughly, I did not feel good about how it would impact my future having all these life changes, but reading about Ada Lovelace made me feel like I would have a future. Books, articles and everything I could get my hands on about Ada Lovelace, made me feel inspired and as though whilst overcoming a health obstacle that I could still have a wonderful education and career. Overall, in my darkest times thinking about my life changes from my health obstacles, Ada Lovelace is the woman in a STEM field whom helped me feel inspired and motivated, in terms of a career idol woman. I think that my dad tried to tutor me like Ada Lovelace’s dad probably tutored her, while being homeschooled; we made the most of it, plus my dad has been a college graduate professor in math/computer science.

I have to tell you my biggest assets are subjects I was homeschooled in off paper, like the violin and mathematics, which is why I am always so open minded working in groups on projects with work in the software industry as many people have mysterious trades that are from being self-taught or tutored alongside structured educations.

My friends whom are nurses had Florence Nightingale to look up to as career inspiration, and I always looked up to Ada Lovelace, we were all talking about our career inspirations the other night and how we would all read about them growing up.

A lot of people play classical strings, to develop special skills to have a brain for a specific field, so I guess for me it can be math. Listening to or playing classical music is supposed to lengthen your brain waves or make you focus, all sorts of music definitely changes my mood or level of focus. Not everyone gets to be a professional musician, but I am certainly happy to make my hobby Four Seasons series over the next year. At least my family will watch the entire production, and my run book is kind of the same thing. They are not a big deal but they are a big deal to me, and milestone accomplishments. Technically everyone can write a book and publish it as an eBook for free, or make their own music video with a violin and a camera, I love how inclusive milestones books and solos really can be. I enjoy sharing that books and solos do not have to be competitive, you can make something beautiful and share it with everyone you wish, to cross the feat off of your list. A lot of adult orchestras can be more like a club too sometimes, there have been opportunities that made me feel like I was joining a club versus auditioning, for instance they always want more pit violinists for nutcracker season or there are always small groups in any city casually playing one night a week; it can be like a club and fun.

Another thing that I like to share is whether it is running, math, or my violin, I always need two weeks to get back in shape after taking an extended break! After three weeks, I am really better after the break, three months in after a break is when I feel as though I never skipped a beat.