I’m Brittany Gervin (She/Her). I graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in English (Technical Communication track), an Information Technology minor, and the Stuart Omans Excellence Award in Technical Communication. Before that, I earned an Associate in Arts (AA) degree in General Studies and an Honors certificate from Valencia College.
I have a lot of hobbies. I’ve been blogging on this site since 2017. I talk about technology, writing, and more recently, movies. I have a growing collection of solar figurines. I read tons of fantasy novels, often two at a time. Lastly, I’m heavily into anime, manga, and K-Pop.
Choosing My Career Path
I inherited my fascination with technology from my mechanically-inclined father. Computers, rather than cars, were my weakness. From the moment I wrote an interactive story “Dogtopia” on an elementary school Mac, I savored every second I spent around computers.
Yet, I didn’t know what I wanted to do after graduation. I considered careers involving forensics or foreign languages, subjects I had enjoyed during high school. Neither field felt right. It wasn’t until a friend teased me about my obsession with her new laptop that I realized, “Hey, I should work in tech!”
With my Bright Futures scholarship in hand, I entered Valencia College on the Computer Science (CS) track.
Surviving the Rough Years
College started out well. My test scores qualified me for the Honors Program, while my grades put me on the President’s and Dean’s Lists. Things went sideways when the “real” CS prerequisites kicked in. Apparently, my technological knowledge didn’t translate into programming talent or mathematical skill. I struggled to maintain decent grades.
I changed my major to Information Technology (IT) when I transferred to the University of Central Florida. I thought the new major would be more my speed. Instead, the struggle only intensified.
After I failed Computer Science I—and saw my second attempt going down the same road—I got honest with myself. I was miserable. I was burning through brain cells for classes I barely liked, and for a major that didn’t suit me. It was time to move on.
On the bright side, I had completed enough credits for an IT minor.
Picking Up the Pieces
I explored replacement majors. I wanted something to complement the IT minor. Writing was my top choice, given my strong background in advanced English courses and my highly-praised CS and IT reports. One English major fit the bill: Technical Communication. I could write about technology!
Technical Communication worked out perfectly. Whereas I had endured CS and IT, I enjoyed and excelled in my challenging technical writing courses. Eventually, I achieved a 3.9 GPA in my major.
Later I joined the Future Technical Communicators (FTC) club. During my year as FTC’s secretary, I participated in monthly technical communication seminars, discussing everything from software to resumes with other technical communication students. I even met members of the Society for Technical Communicators (STC). I had finally found my calling.
Now that I’ve graduated, I would like to work as a technical writer in the technology industry. I hope to attain some professional certifications for technical communication and technology in the future.
If you would like to know more about my qualifications, please visit my Resume page. You can also check out my blog or contact me.