Hello and good morning! My name is Adriana K Williams, and I am embarking on a grand new journey.
A little about Me:
I am Toltec, my motto is Life is Art.
I did not follow a traditional career path. Throughout my upbringing, I kept hearing adults say that if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life. If circumstances had been different, I would have gone to university. I would have loved to spend a few years studying philosophy, art, history, and science. However, I couldn't justify the cost of this experience since I wasn't focused on a specific career after graduation; I simply wanted to explore and learn because I love learning. So, I started working in restaurants because of my passion for food, and later became a roadie selling merchandise for touring bands across North America. I worked tirelessly at these jobs, but I genuinely loved what I did. I was fortunate to attend a show almost every night for a month or two at a time while on tour, meet people from all around the world, taste incredible foods, and learn about their preparation. I also had the privilege of helping people celebrate and create unforgettable memories with their loved ones. It was an amazing life, but it took a toll on my body, eventually leading to chronic fatigue. In 2019, I quit working in food service because I received so many offers for tours that I didn't want to turn down. I wanted to focus exclusively on my work as a roadie, aiming to retire around the age of 40 and make the most out of my remaining time on the road.
It was kind of an amazing coincidence that my chronic fatigue finally became unmanageable right about the time the global pandemic hit. Suddenly, all the upcoming tours I was supposed to work were canceled, granting me, for the first time in my adult life, an abundance of free time. I seized this opportunity to reflect deeply on my lifestyle and made changes to support my health. With the blessing of time and space, I focused on healing. In early 2021, I started working part-time at a small family owned dispensary and discovered the incredible medicinal benefits of cannabis. I had been in constant pain every second of every day for years, refusing opiates because they impaired my functioning, until I found relief through CBD. When the small, family-owned dispensary I worked at was sold to new owners who didn't retain part-time staff, I moved to a medical dispensary. This new role was a perfect fit, allowing me to leverage my personal experience to assist customers in selecting products that genuinely improved their quality of life. I found this to be deeply fulfilling, but was having difficulty supporting myself.
While I enjoyed helping people improve their quality of life, I saw that my job at the medical dispensary was a dead end for me. With an eye on the future, I began exploring other career paths that would provide fulfillment and self-sufficiency without the need for multiple jobs or relying on my partner to cover bills. I took several courses on Alison Courses and delved into extensive reading. Ultimately, I decided to pursue a career as a Software Quality Assurance Engineer. I envisioned this role complementing my passion for live music, where I am a drummer for an all-girl Aerosmith tribute band; during the day, I'd get paid to break things, and at night, I'd get paid to hit things—sounds like fun to me! I quit my service job just before Christmas 2023, enjoyed a nice holiday with my family, and after New Year's, I began a software QA course at DevMountain tech bootcamp. This was an exhilarating experience; it had been 20 years since my last formal education in 2004, reigniting my love for learning. I graduated from the QA program at the end of March and immediately enrolled in a Basics of Coding course at DevMountain to gain deeper insights into the software I'd be testing. While I found coding fascinating, it also affirmed that my true interest lies in testing rather than building software, which I find a just a tad bit tedious.
This brings me to now! As I embark on finding my first role in this exciting new to me industry, I continue to pursue my education in Software Quality Assurance. In my spare time, I immerse myself in personal projects, applying and refining the skills I've recently acquired. I'm enthusiastic about the opportunities ahead to contribute and grow in this dynamic field.
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