Development Isn’t a Career You Can Just Learn Once and You Are Done

Becki was working as a Technical Recruiter toying with the idea of becoming a developer. Once she found the confidence to immerse herself into learning how to code, she never looked back and started a whole new career.

What did you do before Technigo?

I had been working as a technical recruiter since I moving to Sweden four years ago. Before that I worked as a researcher in the field of Medical Physics.

From recruiting to coding? That seems like a big change.

As part of my job I was learning a lot about software development, and the industry. Over time I was getting more interested in the jobs I was recruiting people for and wondering if I could do that one day. I think that’s what sparked the idea of getting into programming as a career.

Did you already have some programming skills?

During my PhD I was using statistical and scripting programming languages for data analysis. Over the years I programmed as a hobby and always toyed with the idea of becoming a developer but never made the leap. I found it difficult to do it by myself – to learn these new skills. I kept getting distracted by new languages and technologies. I was a bit all over the place.

During my time as a technical recruiter, I told my bosses that I’d like to venture into coding. They were very supportive, and I actually went down to three and a half days a week at work in order to be able to focus on coding but it still wasn't enough to really learn what I wanted and I went back to full time recruiting eventually.

Why did you finally choose Technigo?

My husband is a developer who’s worked a lot with the Tjejer Kodar. He knew I really wanted to learn coding. He took me along to the showcase of a class at the end of one of the previous bootcamps, making it sound like it was just going to be a night out but it turned out to be an ambush!

When we got there he introduced me to Hanna and Sandra (the founders of Technigo) who told me all about the bootcamp and got me really excited about it. I’d gone to see other bootcamps before all over Europe but none of them had felt right. Technigo really fit my idea of how I wanted to learn – focused on companies and what was actually happening in the industry.

Did you practice coding outside of the course?

The course was very intense but I tried to focus on doing more projects after class. I was coding over 60 hours a week. It took over my entire life for a while but it was definitely worth it.

Did you get a new job right away?

I got job offers while I was still doing the bootcamp, so I ended up switching really quickly. That was great. The only thing I regret is not taking a holiday before starting my new job to take down the intensity a bit.

I now work for Baffin Bay Networks as a Javascript developer and I really enjoy the job and the team. I was able to just get started without a lot of handholding and that felt great.

Are you happier than you were before?

Yes, I love my job! It’s exciting and challenging and I really enjoy learning things. I was getting frustrated about not knowing where my career was going and this solved that problem.

“And overall, I’m really proud of myself for being brave enough to do it.”

Do your previous skills still play a role for you at work today?

My physics background is useful to coding as it’s so mathematical. It has definitely helped me learn fast. My recruiting skills were valuable when it came to finding a new job, and fitting into a new team and environment.

All the things I have learned in the bootcamp and in my previous careers have come together naturally and enabled me to do make the jump into programming as a career.

What was your greatest struggle when you learned coding?

Just believing that I could do it held me back for many years. I wasn’t confident enough in my own ability, but once I pushed through that, it felt natural.

It was really great to meet other like-minded people during the bootcamp. Everyone supported each other and I formed some great friendships that gave me energy and boosted my motivation and confidence.

What was the best thing about becoming a developer?

The daily challenges, every day at work is different, and learning constantly. Development isn’t a career you can just learn once and you are done. There are always something new to learn.

“Everything changed so quickly. It has given me the opportunity to do so many different things, and there are so many possibilities and different career paths in development I can now pursue. It is very exciting.”

Any advice for someone considering to add programming skills to what they’re doing?

If you’ve been thinking about whether you should do it, you definitely should. And Technigo is a great place to learn. I really wish I had done this earlier.

I’m astonished at how much you can learn in such a short time. It is intense, and you are going to be thinking about it all the time during the course. And half way through you will be doubting you know anything, but it all comes together at the end and gives you this great opportunity to do something new and amazing.

What’s on your agenda now?

I’m kind of back at the beginning now and there’s lots of places for me to go from here, which is very exciting, so I’ll see where this skill set takes me.

I love working with Javascript and I want to continue to improve my skills and get better and better but I also want to try other things. I am really interested in Machine Learning, and am working on some personal projects with Python and Machine Learning libraries right now.

I would also like to give back and help others start their journey with programming too. I ran my first beginners workshop for those interested in coding recently and would love to do more of those so others also can find their passion in coding like I have.