Transitioning into tech: My experience

Changing career paths is not always easy. In this article, I’ll take you through my own experience of transitioning into tech, and the how’s and the why’s behind this decision.

Jess is stressed

After studying Biochemistry at university, I knew that science wasn’t for me. So, after much stress, I fell into a job in a different industry as a Risk and Hazard Management Consultant. Once again, I found that this was not for me. I just wasn’t feeling as passionate as my colleagues were.

Jess says ‘Hello world’

Back in 2014, I had my first ever experience of programming. One online Python lesson later and my suspicions had been confirmed. Programming and computer science — something that had never been taught, discussed, or acknowledged at my school -, is for the geniuses of the world. They could do it and I couldn’t.

Over the next few years, I kept returning to the idea that being able to write code would be really cool. I kept trying, but as soon as I felt overwhelmed, I would go back to assuming that it wasn’t possible for me. Programming didn’t feel accessible.

That is until I saw an advert for an eight-week HTML & CSS course being offered by the charity Code First Girls and Bank of America. This was my first time meeting other women who were interested in tech, talking to different people in the industry, and the first time I realised I actually could do this if I wanted to. Seeing normal people doing what I wanted to do broke down the barrier that I had in my head and I began teaching myself to code using some amazing free resources such as Codecademy, freeCodeCamp, The Odin Project and Harvards CS50. Whenever I got stuck, I carried on.

Jess becomes an engineer

One letter of motivation, a couple of months learning Ruby, several phone calls, and a tech test later, and I officially had a place to start at a bootcamp called Makers Academy.

Makers was the one of the best things that I have ever done in my life. It was a life- changing experience. Straight after finishing the bootcamp, a job opportunity was posted for a DevOps apprenticeship with a company called Credera. This was just one ad of many, but this one particularly stood out to me. I had never heard of DevOps or Credera, and I certainly hadn’t pictured myself doing an apprenticeship in my mid- 20s. Within the next 24 hours, I had submitted my CV.

This brings us back to the present. After my first experience of writing a line of code and deciding that I wanted to work in tech but not knowing how to get there, I am now a DevOps Engineer Apprentice at Credera.

Jess finds the one

My role at Credera aligns well with my goals, allowing me to have power in my career to progress with in- demand and relevant skills. I feel at peace with my career and the direction it is heading in.

Things work out as and when they are meant to. It’s never too late, and it’s okay to be patient with yourself. It took years for me to gain the confidence to even apply to a bootcamp, but I value the lessons learned and the experiences that I have gained along the way. If things hadn’t worked out this way, I wouldn’t be where I am right now!