Beyond the Screen: Finding Focus and a Future in Programming

Ostyn Guajardo’s path in computer programming has been shaped by more than technical training—it’s been a journey of learning to trust himself. Living with autism, he has worked to manage overthinking and build confidence in his abilities. As he nears graduation, his progress reflects both personal growth and a commitment to keep moving forward.

When Ostyn Guajardo turns on his computer, everything else fades away. His focus narrows to one thing: passing the mastery, a final assessment of his coding skills. The computer programming student already knows the material, but that knowledge may be his biggest hurdle.

During his time at Texas State Technical College, Ostyn has discovered that success in computer programming is not just about writing code. It is about managing the overthinking that comes with autism and continuing forward even when uncertainty sets in.

“I got the code done, but what if it’s not right?” Ostyn said.

With just three classes left before graduation, Ostyn’s journey has become about more than the code he writes. It’s also about trusting himself and believing he has earned his success.

Finding His Path

That trust was built long before he attended TSTC. Long before computer programming, Ostyn was learning how to navigate school, expectations and the challenges that came with autism.

Ostyn attended San Benito High School, where he stayed busy competing in football, track and wrestling. He also showed livestock through Future Farmers of America. Those activities helped push him outside his comfort zone.

“They were exhilarating and got me to interact more in a sense,” Ostyn said.

As he balanced those responsibilities, Ostyn was also learning how to work through high school with the support he needed. He said he did not spend much time thinking about how autism affected his life, but San Benito High School helped him maintain focus by providing him with a quiet room for testing and other support when needed.

He also had the opportunity to connect with other students with autism.

“It’s knowing that I had other people with autism,” Ostyn said.

As graduation approached, Ostyn began thinking more seriously about what came next. TSTC stood out because it was close to home and offered a path into computer programming that fit what he had been looking for.

That interest was rooted in something familiar. Ostyn had long been drawn to video games, and computer programming gave him a way to imagine creating something of his own one day.

“I wanted to go there to learn how to program, specifically, and maybe get into the gaming industry,” Ostyn said.

While game development remains his original goal, TSTC has helped him see that coding opens more than one path.

“I learned that coding can translate into lots of stuff besides gaming,” Ostyn said. “It can translate into business software, or into a website.”

Learning to Push Through

Ostyn knew he wanted to earn his computer programming degree at TSTC when he started in 2020.

He enrolled and began taking as many classes as he thought he could handle, including general education courses like math and science. Before long, time management became a challenge and the workload started to feel overwhelming.

“There have been times where I took multiple classes, but I ended up not finishing,” Ostyn said.

With guidance from TSTC’s instructors, tutoring support and other campus resources, Ostyn made a key adjustment. He began taking fewer courses at a time, giving himself the space to stay focused and keep moving toward graduation.

“It may have been slow, but at least I got something done instead of trying to do three things at once and not getting any of them,” Ostyn said.

Limiting his course load helped reduce some of the overthinking that had made it harder to focus. But that feeling never disappeared completely. Even when he finished the work, doubt could still creep in.

“It’s like overthinking that it needs to be perfect,” Ostyn said. “Like it’s really good, but I’m worried that I failed.”

Even with that worry, he keeps going. He submits the mastery and accepts the result because the only way forward is through it. At times, he has still questioned whether computer programming is the right fit, but he keeps coming back to the same mindset that once carried him through football.

“Basically just determination,” Ostyn said. “What I did with football is like coding. I just have to keep on going forward.”

Computer programming instructor Casey Jones said that determination has stood out throughout Ostyn’s time in the program.

“Ostyn has demonstrated strong tenacity and drive in his approach to earning his degree,” Jones said. “He consistently approaches each course with determination and works through the challenges presented in each assessment until he successfully solves them.”

Building Toward What’s Next

Moving forward, Ostyn sees plenty of different routes ahead. His main passion remains making games through Unity. He discovered that some of his favorite games were built using the platform.

One of his proudest accomplishments came in a class last semester, when he spent a week building his own video game. In it, the player controls a spaceship and shoots asteroids to gain points.

“It’s good to make something that I’m familiar with,” Ostyn said. “It makes me feel like this is close to my element.”

Jones said that growth has been clear in the way Ostyn approaches programming.

“Ostyn has put in the effort to become a better programmer,” Jones said. “He has worked through each challenge presented to him in order to gain the knowledge needed and continue improving his skills.”

While Ostyn’s confidence lies in Unity, he still keeps his options open. He has also pushed himself to rely less on instructors and tutoring to get his work done. Now, he only asks for help when he is truly stuck or a due date is quickly approaching.

“I’m more independent than I was before,” Ostyn said.

Completing assignments on his own has brought him satisfaction and helped prepare him for graduation and the future ahead.

“I would say it’s like 120% better,” Ostyn said. “It feels a little bit like it’s more my accomplishment.”

With just three classes left, Ostyn is nearing another milestone. Graduation, he said, will bring relief, but it will also mark the beginning of the next step.

After TSTC, he hopes to find work that fits his skills and interests, especially in areas connected to Unity and game development. At the same time, he knows coding can take him in many different directions, and he wants to be part of something he feels connected to.

“I want to end up working on a project connected to a language that I’m comfortable with,” Ostyn said.

Now when Ostyn turns on the computer, he does so with more confidence in what he knows, what he has built and where he is headed next.