Meet Sara, a driven individual with a bachelor's degree in software engineering. Determined to pursue a career in software development, she decided to enroll in the She Codes Too 6-month bootcamp last April 2023. This intensive front-end bootcamp equipped her with essential front-end skills, problem-solving abilities, and interview preparation techniques. With mentorship, hands-on projects, and job placement support, Sara transitioned from customer service to aspiring developer, ready to make her mark in the tech industry. Read Sara's story below as she tells it.
Embarking on the She Codes Too Journey
There are many paths to self-improvement. Some people may want to improve their social skills and so they join clubs, some people want to improve their health and join gyms. Some people, like myself, may need a full five course treatment of self improvement for whatever reason. Personally, a long battle with depression left my social skills and my technical skills all lacking and rusting. I found myself floating without much of a goal, with no real way to form connections, whether they be friendships or simple networking. I found my time wasting away without any real improvement. Till one day I stumbled upon an ad for She Codes Too. The name caught my attention, and so did the colors and design that did not lend themselves to overly flowery pinks and Girl Boss Slogans that smell of empty promises in the name of Feminism. I applied, and after a surprisingly pleasant interview process, I was accepted.
Forging Connections in the She Codes Too Community
The first day of SCT was full of nerves. Again, remember, that I’ve been socially inept for a long time now, and I had not much idea how to interact with my peers. So I stood by awkwardly as everyone mingled and chatted and got to know each other. The first meeting went by like this, the second, and by the third, I was surrounded by people. I was exchanging tips, jokes, and we were trouble shooting together, learning off of each other. It took barely two weeks for a sense of community to be so quickly fashioned between us.
Overcoming Challenges Together with She Codes Too
I remember how in the halfway benchmark, when we were all scrambling to create Portfolios with nothing but some HTML and CSS, we all scrambled between Discord channels and real-life meetings huddled over bean bags, balancing laptops and exchanging problems. Handing off your work to someone else, and taking over theirs, fixing their error and getting your error back resolved is a sure-fire way to create any lasting friendship. It is the trial by fire of the coding experience.
Bridging the Gap from She Codes Too to the Real World
On my way to graduation, I managed to get an internship, an internship where I got the chance to implement everything I learned in the bootcamp in a real world environment, in a real work environment. It was a crash course of re-implementing every single homework I had received throughout the bootcamp. Each and every one gaining a real world example. It was all I needed to feel the confidence I was lacking and kickstart a real career in Front-End Development.
Navigating the Post-She Codes Too Path
Next was a career, next was focusing on my work all on my own, without guidance, without homework reminders, without sessions every Saturday that would put me back on track. I’ll be honest, it was a struggle on my own, and it made me regret all the times I’ve skipped out on something, all the times I did not do something on time, I did not take advantage of the schedule I had to create routines for myself. But work has a way of forcing a routine on you, and despite the bumpy kick to the road, I am all back on track. Now I’m aiming forward, to improve my Front-End skills, and to to expand in my web development journey into back-end development. I have begun but the road ahead is long, and this time I sadly will not have my SCT family to keep me on track. But I will have everything they taught me to keep me steady. And so, the only advice I have to the new additions to our family, is to take what you learn to heart, because if you’re serious about starting this journey, you will need everything they teach you. The time management skills, the rush to finish the work on time, the soft skills needed to communicate problems. Nothing is less important than the other, there will come a time where you need all of it. And most importantly, enjoy what you do.
Connect with Sara Aram on LinkedIn: LinkedIn Profile