Here is how I took a non-traditional route to starting a career in tech
Less than 4 months ago I closed my laptop Friday evening as a business analyst and three days later I opened it back up as a software engineer. While only one weekend separated these two very different careers, the transition took months in the making. Keep reading below to learn how I made the transition from business to tech and what help I received along the way.
Working at a Large Company
One of the most helpful things I had going for me in becoming a software engineer was that I work at a large company that has a tech department that employs thousands of software engineers. This opened the door for me to be able to more easily connect with software engineers within the organization and be able to see what kinds of work they were doing.
It can be difficult to make connections within a new industry but being within the company meant that most of the software engineers I met with were more than willing to connect and share about their work and experiences. The same can’t be said if you are trying to make connections with professionals from different companies as they likely won’t be as willing to set aside time to meet or be as willing to share as much information about their work and experience.
Having connected with several engineers and managers really helped me get my name out there and help expose the potential opportunities that were available to me without having to go through a bunch of external application and hiring processes.
Coding Bootcamp
While you may not need a traditional computer science degree from a 4-year university to become a software engineer, you still need to know how to code and understand how software development works.
I did not study computer science in college but I did take a few classes that exposed me to coding which peaked my interest. However, these classes did not give me sufficient experience and skills to be competent as a software engineer. Recognizing the gap in my skills pushed me to enroll in a coding boot camp that was actually sponsored through my employer’s education benefits.
This was an entirely worthwhile opportunity that I am very thankful for as I was able to pick up the skills that I needed while continuing to work in my current role and also not have to pay anything out of pocket.
The great thing about boot camps is that programs typically take anywhere from three months to one year which is much shorter than a four year degree. Also, boot camps really focus heavily on skills and technologies that are important and relevant in the industry as the instructional staff are typically professionals that work in the industry.
My boot camp was part time and took six months so I was able to gain the skills that are directly applicable to my current role as a software engineer in a fraction of the time it would take for me to go back and get a computer science degree from a four year university.
Networking
The last and most important piece of my transition was networking. It can be difficult to network as reaching out to and meeting new people can often feel awkward but it has huge benefits and can help you get your foot in the door for new and exciting opportunities.
When I initially became interested in pursuing becoming a software engineer I just started reaching out to a couple random engineers within my company to see if they were willing to connect to chat. This eventually led to one of them generously introducing me to the program manager for my current role. Then the program manager introduced me to the recruiter who was hiring for my current role and all of a sudden my foot was firmly in the door and I was off to the races with the interview process.
With that all being said, I still did have to formally apply and go through all of the interviews and other pieces of the hiring process for my current role but networking helped me land that first interview with the recruiter and get the process going instead of me just submitting an application and hoping that it got noticed.
After several months in role as a software engineer I can gladly say that I am happy I made the change and I enjoyed the experience of navigating changing careers. My hope is that what I have shared will help or serve as inspiration for at least one person looking to become a software engineer.
