Landing a Job in Tech: Q&A with 3 Successful Software Engineers
Looking to switch careers to software development? Not sure what to expect after the coding bootcamp comes to an end? In this post, three successful Tech Elevator graduates currently working in tech share their insight and advice for new (or aspiring) software developers.
Meet Jill Karacia, Kroger, Software Engineer
Q: Describe life in your current role. What do you enjoy about it?
A: Life in my current role is amazing! I look forward to the work I get to do each day. I’m constantly learning and have no shortage of opportunities to grow professionally. My favorite thing about being a Software Engineer is that I get to be creative, solve problems and collaborate with brilliant people every day. There is no time to get bored in this job because it is constantly changing.
Q: How did Tech Elevator prepare you for your current role?
A: Tech Elevator introduced me to the core concepts, languages and frameworks that I needed to have a well-rounded understanding of how to code. The process they use to teach these new concepts is the process I still use to keep up with new features and learn new languages.
Q: What advice do you have for someone considering making the jump to become a software developer?
A: Do it! There is a huge demand for developers and it is such a stable and rewarding career!
Q: What overall career advice do you have from your experience as a software developer?
A: The best advice I can give is to stay curious, never stop being teachable and don’t be afraid to ask questions and ask for help. Get comfortable being outside of your comfort zone. That’s where you grow!
Meet April Howard, JPMorgan Chase, Software Engineer
Q: How did you make the transition into the tech industry?
A: Prior to Tech Elevator I was a United States Postal Clerk running a one person office in Amish Country. I quit my post office job to focus on programming. I believed that with Tech Elevator’s corporate partners; high graduation and job placement rates, I had a good chance of success.
Q: Describe life in your current role. What do you enjoy about it?
A: I’m part of a team of five supporting an auto collections application. I actually hit my 90-day mark in August and have loved every minute of it. I’ve been responsible for updating security scripts for our application, have assisted in resetting of server passwords, and have validated our website’s security certificate. Most significantly, our team is currently building an application that integrates with two other applications. My task has been to gather business requirements and discuss these requirements with the other application owners to create a design that is technically feasible. I am now beginning the application build. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to learn new skills, collaborate with teammates, and work with other teams.
Q: How did Tech Elevator prepare you for your current role?
A: While TE’s curriculum and instruction are superb and gave me a breadth of knowledge, TE taught me the ability to quickly learn new technologies and tools. This has given me the confidence that I can find solutions for any task I’m given. I’m not afraid to take on assignments because I know where to go to find answers and how to apply those answers.
Most importantly, TE’s final Capstone structure mirrors a real world corporate environment including an application to build, teammates to work with, an agility lead and a product owner. As a result, on my first day at JPMorgan Chase, it felt familiar. Collaborating with teammates came naturally and the transition was seamless.
Q: What advice do you have for someone considering making the jump to become a software developer?
A: Be willing to put in the time and embrace every opportunity. Don’t cut corners and don’t get discouraged when concepts are difficult. Learning comes with exposure and the more you expose yourself to the concepts, the more familiar the concepts become.
Q: What overall career advice do you have from your experience as a software developer?
A: Don’t be afraid of doing something just because you’re unfamiliar with it or it seems too difficult. Grab the opportunity and just do it. Those are the times where you’ll learn and grow the most.
Meet Katie Grover, Integration Engineer, PayPal
Q: Describe life in your current role. What do you enjoy about it?
A: I currently work at PayPal as an Integration Engineer. Our team helps integrate PayPal into our clients/merchants’ online stores. (It’s not as easy as it sounds, I promise.) This role is what I like to think of as a hybrid role. It combines my technical background that I acquired from Tech Elevator along with people/communication skills that I attained from my previous role as a recruiter. I work on a small team within PayPal of five people. I got to know them all very quickly since it’s such a small team, despite still being remote. What I like most about this role is that the learning never ends; even my colleagues who have been in this role for 5-10 years are still learning new things every single day on the job.
Q: How did Tech Elevator prepare you for your current role?
A: Tech Elevator is responsible for basically everything I know on the technical side of my role. Although I am not the one doing the actual coding, I am constantly debugging and analyzing code during our PayPal integrations and for our buttons, so I have to stay sharp and use this knowledge everyday. I am forever thankful for the instructors and staff at Tech Elevator that made learning such a difficult subject matter fascinating and fun. In addition, the group work we did at Tech Elevator also made me realize the importance of teamwork. On my team, everyone is constantly helping each other out with difficult tasks we face daily. Since I am the newest member of the team, I am so grateful for all the help they give me each and every day.
Q: What advice do you have for someone considering making the jump to become a software developer?
A: Basically the only advice I have for someone is… “just do it.” Because if you’re even considering this as an option for your next career, chances are you will end up loving Tech Elevator and loving your new career path just as much. I haven’t met anyone who attended Tech Elevator who said they regret taking the plunge. It’s worth the risk. It’s amazing what can happen in just 14 weeks.
Q: What overall career advice do you have from your experience as a software developer?
A: A piece of career advice that I live by is to be persistent. Be persistent in your job search and be persistent once you have your role. It makes it so much easier to get what you want and to get to where you want to be in your career. Never give up on anything, no matter how unattainable it may seem. Keep working for it or at it, and you’d be surprised at how amazing the outcomes can be. I would have never landed at PayPal if I had given up my persistence at any point throughout the process.
Interested in Exploring a Career in Coding?
Tech Elevator’s coding and career prep bootcamp is designed to provide the most efficient & highest quality path to a career in tech. Our Industry-aligned full-stack curriculum is taught by seasoned experts and combined with our top-rated Pathway Program™ to help people from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences gain the skills and confidence to land a fulfilling software developer job. Take the mini Aptitude Test (for free) and see if you could be successful in software development.