Two years before the university admission I was preparing for the biology and chemistry exams because I wanted to get a medical degree. All my energy was concentrated on that, studying about cells, organisms, the human body, reproduction, chemical reactions, etc. That, of course, affected other areas negatively, one of which was math.
I was pretty good at math, easily getting A and B grades, up until I started preparing for the other exams. My grades dropped to C and even D sometimes and my math teacher wasn't happy about that.
One day, my mother met her on the street and asked her how was I doing. She answered - "C is the max he can get and even that is too much for him...". I was shocked when I heard she told that. And I took it too personally.
"Who is she to tell me what I can or can't do?" - my young mind thought.
My future plans changed overnight. I wanted to show my teacher how wrong she was. So, I ditched the biology books and chemistry lessons and started studying math again. My grades jumped to A grades instantly, but I was still not happy about it. I wanted to take it one step further. So, I decided to take the math university admission exam.
The result was more than pleasing - I got 5.6 of 6 and got accepted at the University of Veliko Tarnovo with Computer Science.
Until the third year in the university, I wasn't sure I made the right choice. The material we were studying was dry and old, the lessons - boring Powerpoint presentations using Comic Sans, most of the professors - grumpy old men, who thought CCS3 was rocket science.
I felt miserable. My motivation was fading and I started doubting my decision. I had to do something and I had to do it fast.
So, I began to study by myself. I made a simple plan of what I want to do and how much time it would take me to achieve it. And then it all started!
I found that programming can actually be really fun, but also really hard. Math concepts started to make sense now that I started using them in real projects. Finishing a project and seeing it actually works felt so empowering and enlightening. Then it came to me - I have made the right choice after all!
Not long after that I started my first real programming job as a junior front-end developer. I was thinking I knew everything and it will be a piece of cake... I was so wrong! It was nothing I've imagined, but that motivated me even more because I knew it's worth it.
After years in the IT sector, being a developer in several companies, I found that programming can give you the freedom to create, share, contribute, teach whatever you like without any boundaries.
I still think what would have happened if my mother didn't meet my math teacher on the street that day. Would I become a doctor or would I somehow end up being a programmer after all?