Everything Turing School Gave Me

They gave me a sense of purpose.

They taught me what hard-work looks like, what it leads to, and why it’s important.

They challenged me to be a better me. They asked me to challenge others to be a better them.

They gave me a sense of empathy for those I assumed always had had a similar experience to mine, which was a wildly inaccurate assumption.

They gave me a skill. Then, they gave me another skill. They gave me skills that build on skills.

They gave me their effort. They gave me their support.

They gave me a community to be inspired by. They gave me people I can depend on. They gave me better friends.

They gave me an opportunity to be proud of myself. They gave me the chance to lift up others.

They gave me a chance to contemplate impact and responsibility.

They gave me tough love when I needed it. They gave me perspective.

They didn’t give me a choice to do it my way, instead, they showed me the right way to do it.

They gave me a chance to help make the community feel more like it was mine when I was a student.

They gave me a career.

They gave me ladder.

They threw me a life preserver when I was floundering.

They listened to me.

They gave me a hand when I was down.

They cared about me and my success. They care about me and my success.

They gave me an opportunity to change my life. They gave me an opportunity to change the lives of my grandchildren.

I don’t have any grandchildren.

They gave me a place to belong. They gave me a sense of what equality actually looks like.

They gave me advice on how to grow. They grew me.

They keep giving to me. They will never stop giving to me.

Every day this community grows in size, so do my future prospects within this industry. Every time Turing alumni do their job well, my name gains respect by association. And, every time I represent myself well, I have the opportunity to fuel that respect as well.

What else will Turing give me in a year? In five? In ten?

These are questions I feel privileged to ask.

How can I ever give enough back to them?

Truthfully, I can’t. They’ve given me a new life. A better life. How do you repay that?

But, I will still keep giving, keep trying, keep growing, because I know they will never stop doing the same for me and our community at large.

I am but a small slice of Turing. But, I am Turing. And, Turing is an extension of me. But, more importantly it is an extension of many who are not me. And, it is an organism that will never be complete. It will grow and evolve and iterate to become more than any one person ever could be. It already has done that, and it will only grow stronger.

Thinking about what Turing might give you? All the above and more.

But, more importantly, one should be thinking about what one can give to Turing. For this is the mindset that will enable one to obtain the most successful outcome.

Giving yields getting in this community.

If you give yourself, your effort, your trust, your energy, and your mind to Turing, you will get more than you had ever dreamed a “code-school” could possibly provide.

Thank you, again and again, thank you Turing.

Tim Tyrell is a Turing alum and currently works at Turing as an instructor.