The sound of cars rushing down the highways of Bullhead City, Arizona, filled the air, as Andrew Hill stared off into the highway through the mini mart window. The blazing Arizona air drenched him in sweat as a poor excuse for a ceiling fan attempted to cool him off.
“Hey, you!” snapped Sanjay, the store manager. “Get your head out of the clouds, we have another customer coming.”
Andrew hung his head low, looking as if he was contemplating past mistakes. If only I could turn back time, Andrew thought to himself. He had recently flunked out of college, as he found himself uninterested and often absent in economics major he chose. He hadn’t truly wanted to major in economics himself, but his family, however, strongly pushed their opinions onto him. Ever since he had dropped out, his parents refused to speak with him. Letting out a deep sigh, Andrew replied, “Sorry Boss.”
“Enough apologizing! Get ready will ya!”
“Welcome to Mighty Mike’s Mini Mart. Where quality is high and prices are low. Please feel free to ask any questions,” said Andrew in a monotonous tone as the customer entered.
“C’mon!” Sanjay criticized. “You’ve gotta’ say it with more enthusiasm.”
“I’m not feeling it today.”
“I don’t think you’re ever feeling it. Now be more enthusiastic or consider yourself out of a job.”
“Alright Boss,” replied Andrew, as he did not intend on losing his job anytime soon.
Andrew had turned his focus to the small television screen that was planted in the corner the room. A commercial for a small software company by the name of Primal Software had caught his eye. Mesmerised by the commercial, Andrew had forgotten about the customer who was growing impatient.
“I don’t have all day you know,” said the agitated customer. “It’s a thousand degrees in here!”
Embarrassed, Andrew began to scan the customer’s items hastily. “I am so sorry sir,” said Andrew, glancing over at Sanjay who was clearly not pleased with his lack of attentiveness. He had just finished up with the customer when Sanjay pulled Andrew aside.
“You’re clearly not capable of working today,” sighed the manager. “Your shift might as well be over for today, you’re no help sulking around.”
“I understand sir.”
Andrew stepped outside the small store and made for the rusty old hunk of junk that he called a car. He had recently sold his original car that his parents had purchased for him for college, as it was way too expensive, and his parents wouldn’t be helping him anytime soon, for they’d essentially disowned him. The blistering heat burned his skin as he entered his car and pulled out of the mini-mart. However, Andrew's mind was elsewhere. He couldn’t help but think back on the commercial. He had always dreamed of becoming a computer engineer ever since his family had introduced a computer to him. Despite his interests, his parents saw the technology as nothing but a waste of time, and strongly discouraged it. Instead, they had pushed their interests of economics onto him, which delayed his dream.
Deep in thought, Andrew walked into his cramped one bedroom apartment and sat down at his computer. It had been so long since he had last looked back on this idea. Ever since he’d dropped out of college, he had been disappointed with
“This may be my chance,” Andrew muttered to himself. “Let’s take a look at these ‘Primal Software’ guys.”
Andrew sat at his desk, taking in as much information as he could. Scrolling through the company's web page, and eventually came to a short video.
“Hey, I’m Johnny W,” said a tall man who appeared to be in his 30s, “and I’m here to talk to you about my company, Primal Software.”
Intrigued, Andrew leaned in closer to his monitor, eager to find out what this company had to offer. If they were hiring, it could be a huge step up from his crummy job
“Now, though our name may be misleading, our growing company is looking for people with technological experience to join our team and help improve our company. Whether you have a little experience or a lot, we are excited to announce that we will be giving internships to those that will ‘wow’ us in the upcoming tech convention in Phoenix, Arizona!”
Andrew jumped, accidentally unplugging his computer doing so. Johnny’s last remark had caught him by surprise. This may be my shot at doing something, Andrew thought to himself. I can still do something with my life!
It then occurred to Andrew that he hadn’t tinkered with any sort of computer for quite some time. He had the basics down, but was he ready to jump right into something so important to him? He wasn’t sure himself.
“If I’m going to do this, I’ve got to do it right,” Andrew said aloud. “I’m going to turn my life around!”
Upon further research, Andrew found that he could take a course over the span of 2 weeks to learn the more advanced aspects of computer engineering. It required a fee of $350, and it wasn’t entirely professional. Andrew knew that taking the class could cut him short on cash and affect his ability to pay rent, but he figured if he worked for a few more hours each day, he’d be able to pull through until next month.
After the first class, Andrew knew he needed to put more effort and time into his work. Slowly, with each lesson, he began to learn more and more. He would then apply his knowledge back at home. Each lesson went by, and Andrew became more and more intrigued. By the last lesson, Andrew was able to put together an entire computer and program small pieces of software for it.
He carried this attitude towards his job as well. Despite the low income he was reeling in, Andrew had become more optimistic. He wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of completing his dream that he’d already failed to pursue, and job, as pathetic as it was, wasn’t either.
The time came for the tech convention, and Andrew couldn’t feel any more ready. He had brought his small desktop computer with him in his car and began the 4-hour drive to Phoenix, Arizona. He had started early to get to the convention on time. As he pulled into the parking lot outside the building for the tech convention, Andrew took a deep breath. He stepped outside of his car and gazed at the large building. He knew that he had prepared for this. He knew that he was ready.