Anna Salizzoni

I originally got my bachelors in computer science (with a minor in chemistry). Did the whole careerist thing that had been drilled into my head since adolescence. Got good grades, had several internships, joined engineering clubs and attended hackathons, worked as a TA, shook hands at job fairs, all of which eventually culminated in accepting a job at Microsoft straight out of college with good pay.

Things were okay for awhile, but over the course of three years working in tech, all the reasons I loved software started to disappear, and were replaced by anxieties of never feeling good enough, and lacking the motivation to improve. I desperately wanted to bring back that same passion I had that would lead me to code into the wee hours of the night (and no, it wasn't because the project was due the next day...most of the time.) But I eventually realized that the corporate world was a lot different from school, and not in a way I liked.

"...But you know what you do like?" said a little voice in the back of my head. "Sewing."

My grandma Poppy got me my first sewing machine when I was 10 years old, and I still use it to this day. I always tell people that if you want to get into sewing, when it comes to the machine itself, you don't actually need anything all that fancy. All it needs to do is a straight or zig-zag stitch and you're golden. (Although, I can't say as much for every other item in your sewing arsenal. You might have to get a little fancy there :P)

Even though I was always putting together the strangest outfits, trying to write novels, making weird t-shirts as gifts, or attending open mic nights with my friends, these were always "hobbies." I never even toyed with the idea that any of these things could be a career. "They're not lucrative enough!" Whiiiich is technically still true. But I've chosen to ignore this line of reasoning from now on. Now my only focus will be on my hobbies, goddammit! And if you choose to stick around as I figure this shit out, you are more than welcome!

Hope you enjoy my blog!

-Anna