Meet Resilient Coders (RC) tech advisor, Alec Ortega. Like many who work for RC, he has an unusual life story.
“Do stuff” was the simple mantra that helped Ortega find a way back up when the bottom dropped out of life just after high school graduation. He had just come out to his parents and let’s just say they didn’t take it well.
After losing all financial and emotional support at home, Ortega made a bold choice. “I didn’t want to be defined by the circumstances life had handed me; I wanted to be defined by what I could do with the opportunities that lay ahead,” Ortega said on ThinkGrowth.org.
Not wasting any time, Ortega found a job stocking shelves and started teaching himself to code at night. In less than a year he’d taught himself enough to be accepted to a college in Boston where he finished a degree.
After a lot of work and a willingness to fake-it-till-he-made-it he landed an internship. From there, he didn’t take any minute for granted. He worked hard, really hard. Now, Ortega is at Resilient Coders, a non-profit that teaches underserved communities how to code. He knows that if he could hack his own life, he can show others how to do it as well.
Make it a point to choose those that will inspire, challenge, and support you. You’ll grow more as a person and gain more perspective.
— Alec (@WhyNotDoStuff) March 5, 2017
His experience is a reminder that there is no linear path to success. And, “what people lack in experience and pedigree, they may make up for in passion.” The secret to success starts with something simple: Do Stuff.
Share this story to remind your friends that your best self may be just around the corner.
