How I Went From Teacher to Software Engineer in 12 Months

 

1.5 years ago when I was exploring the idea of going into technology, a friend introduced me to the Breaking Into Startups Podcast and Facebook Group. The first podcast episode had me hooked, and for 2 months straight I listened to it all day every day–all the while–imagining myself going to a bootcamp, getting a job as a software engineer, and living a whole new life with more money, more purpose, more freedom, and more happiness.

I can proudly say that almost 2 years later, I am living out what I had dreamt while listening to those episodes. I am happily employed at an amazing company with benefits and privileges that far surpass what I had as a teacher. My goals of buying a house before 30 and building wealth that I can pass on to my children are slowly materializing in an interesting and exciting way. And I’m in a position where I can pass on advice, wisdom, and encouragement to others who are interested in making a career change OR just wanna accomplish something hard.

What’s also cool is that I was able to sit down with the Breaking Into Startups crew and share my story, the same way that so many people before me shared their stories.

This episode is jam packed with lots of information including

• what my current company does
• the formula I used to succeed in my transition
• how I approached the job hunt after graduating from bootcamp
• how I negotiated my compensation
• how my relationship managed to survive the 1 year process including 8 months of long-distance
• what it’s like to be a software engineer
• why I founded Organeyez, my personal company and side-project
• what social justice is and why it has driven me to make this career transition
• the mistakes I learned early on
• what it’s like to attend a coding bootcamp
• what I did when I ran out of money
• the ways in which people supported me in my lowest moments

There’s so much magic, joy, discovery, and triumph in my story and for that reason, I hope you listen to it. I hope you walk away feeling inspired to push forward with whatever dream is in your heart, waiting to be actualized.