An Alumna’s Journey from Law Enforcement to Coding

When Brittany Smith had to medically retire as a deputy from the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office in 2019, she was not sure what her next steps would be for her career. Then her girlfriend at the time, now wife, suggested coding. Smith had no idea what she was talking about, but her girlfriend was a software engineer and suggested she should try it. They researched local colleges with computer science programs, and Collin College was one of the first ones they found.

“It looked like Collin had a great program, so I decided that I would enroll, lay down a foundation, and go from there,” Smith said.

Smith began at Collin in August 2019 and completed her certificate in Computer Science and Information Technology in May 2021. Employed at two companies, she is now a full-time full stack developer for SkillStorm and a Fortune 500 company.

“I would not be here today if it weren’t for my professors and Collin College,” Smith said.

Smith, who has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice pre-law, said when she began her educational journey at Collin, she felt overwhelmed by all the classes and subject matter.

“I have a liberal arts degree where I studied mainly English, government law, and criminal justice,” she said. “So, coming into Collin College and learning computer science was a big shift for me.”

But soon she started to grasp the material thanks to Professor of Computer Science Misti Clark.

“Professor Clark’s course was my very first computer science class, and she helped lay down a foundation for me. She taught me how to think like a computer and how computers are just machines with specific instructions, and that they are not good at inferring things like people are,” Smith said. “Once I finally understood, that’s when I started to take off.”

Clark said she uses a visual approach to teaching computer science, especially with students like Smith who may come from a very different background and need more assistance.

“Coding is like learning a foreign language so having visuals help students understand what is happening inside of a computer,” Clark said. “I have found using visuals really makes a difference for my students because it gives them the ability to visualize code instead of just type code.”

Clark also uses this approach when she is teaching at Girls Coding camps and encouraging young female students to pursue careers in the STEM field. Her hope is to one day be able to invite graduates like Smith to talk about their careers and their transition into the field.

 At the time, Smith was going through health issues, and she said professors like Clark were incredibly accommodating to her situation and helped her succeed as a student given her circumstances.

“She just ended up excelling in my class and became the student that all the other students would turn to for assistance,” Clark said. “I know she was going through quite a bit with her health at that time, but she still managed to be on top of everything, becoming the No. 1 helper and taking other students under her wing.”

Smith said she felt lost when her health declined and she had to retire early, but now because of Collin College and professors like Clark, she can work from home and take care of herself while working in a rewarding career.

“I feel extremely fortunate to have had this opportunity and I hope people know, even if it is scary, it is never too late to make a change for your future,” Smith said.