Meet Deja Craft | Software Engineer and Published Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Deja Craft and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Deja, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I am originally from New Orleans and moved to Georgia due to hurricane Katrina. I think my upbringing and my hometown has had an extremely positive impact on where I am now. New Orleans kind of teaches you to have this “hustle hard” mentality. You just know you have to work harder than most because many automatically assume you aren’t educated, professional or esteemed because you come from such a small city where not too many opportunities are afforded to you. I love my hometown, but there’s not too many people who make it out because of the things they had/have to do to survive. You have to be strong enough to make it out of that and fight to not fall victim to that type of lifestyle. My hometown gave me this vivid imagination because it’s a city shrouded in mystery, it gave me hustle, it brought out my spirituality, it humbled me and it gave me strength, a strength I don’t think I knew I even had. New Orleans is a city like no other, and even after a natural disaster it still stands, it still thrives and that’s exactly who I am. No matter what life throws at me I still stand and I still thrive.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Well, I’m a Software Engineer and I never thought I had the skills needed to do well or excel in this career field. I’ve always had an interest in programming, coding and development but I never had the confidence to pursue it. My mom saw a bootcamp catered to helping minorities start a career in tech so she recommended it to me. I applied and figured I had nothing to lose. I had to pass a coding exam to enter but I got in! After that, my confidence grew and I ended up graduating the software engineering cohort with one of the highest grades in the course. That spearheaded my journey as a software engineer. It wasn’t easy by any means, but I wanted it and I was and am determined to succeed. I had to overcome imposter syndrome and understanding that it was okay to ask for help, that it’s okay if my code isn’t always perfect, in fact the code will break about 10 times before you get it right. I had to accept that it’s all a part of the learning process. I’m excited about my future as a Software Engineer and developing new technologies. I hope my story really encourages someone to pursue their dreams no matter how far fetched they may seem, confidence is key.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In my opinion everyone has to visit the RiverWalk, and The French Quarters and head to Cafe’ Du Monde! You can’t leave New Orleans without a Beignet! Of course the city is known for the food and the music, so I’d definitely recommend a trip to the French Quarters. I’m a history geek so I would also recommend one of the tours about the city and its history, it has a rich history and it’s intriguing.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have to give a huge shoutout to my support system. My mother doesn’t even know how much her belief in me meant and means to me. Every time I want to give up she brings me back to reality, she grounds me, without her … I wouldn’t be here at all (literally and figuratively!). Every career path I thought I was interested in, my mom would go and research and learn it just to be able to help me and point me in the right direction. My uncle also poured so much into me and made sure he did as much as he could to help me push forward on my career path, and still does. He nor my mom had an easy life growing up in New Orleans, but they defied the odds and made a better life for themselves. If they could do it, I knew I could. My older sister is also a person who deserves credit for encouraging me, even at her low points she would still push and encourage me, I’ve always admired her selflessness. There’s so many more I wish I could name but I really do have an incredibly amazing support system.

Website: https://react-portfolio-xi-ruddy.vercel.app/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/dejafacee?igshid=MmIzYWVlNDQ5Yg==

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deja-craft