How I Became a Lambda School Section Lead

From UX Zero to Hero

I’m a Lambda School Section Lead and I’m going to explain what that means and how I got the role.

Lambda School is an online program that teaches you the skills to work in tech. I chose UX design, but there’s also Full Stack Web Development, Data Science, Android Development, and iOS Development. All of the cohorts for these sections live online in Slack and Zoom. Mornings are for lectures and afternoons are for projects; eight hours a day, five days a week, nine months long.

All of the students in a given cohort are broken down into smaller groups and assigned a Team Lead (TL). TL’s are students who have paused their progress in the program to go back and guide new students at the beginning. This is a contract position and TL’s get paid for their work. They report to the Section Lead (SL) who oversees the cohort and acts as a bridge between the students and the Student Success Staff.

I wanted to become a TL from my first day at Lambda. I interpreted it as an opportunity for professional development and a way to get paid to learn. And, that’s basically what it is! My interest in the position only grew when I started to get into the daily assignments and get a feel for the course. It also helped that my TL was an amazing source of support and we were able to develop a quick friendship. He took the time to get to know me on a personal level and became an anchor for my entire experience at Lambda.

There were several application calls to become a TL in my first three months, but I waited until the timing was right. I didn’t want to get in over my head before grasping all of the concepts that were being presented to me on a daily basis. I put the TL role on the back burner and made sure I was excelling as a student first.

The right opportunity finally came when I was finishing up the fifteen-week core curriculum. If I continued as a student, my next step was to start an eight-week long group project and then eight more weeks of web development lessons. If I was ever going to be a TL, I figured it had to be now. I’d get to go back to the beginning to help new students and double-down on the fundamentals of UX design. I filled out the application and hoped for the best.

The application required a resume and several answers to open-ended questions. I had to think about why I wanted the role and how I could add value to the Lambda community. I followed up on these points in the optional cover letter. The end of the form asked for TL recommendations and I was lucky enough to have a couple of names to put down.

Student Success set up an interview and it went well. It was not intense or intimidating; instead, each question and response flowed like a conversation. I was able to pull anecdotes from my previous employment history and explain how it related to the role. The whole thing lasted thirty minutes. I left with a very positive feeling about my performance.

I got the job offer a few days later. I said yes, and just like that, my schedule changed from a group project to starting over with a new group of students.

There were four other TL’s in my cohort. We were all waiting to find out who our SL was. We didn’t know if it was going to be one of us or someone from the outside. I was shocked when a member of the staff asked me if I’d like to interview for the position. Of course, I said yes.

The SL interview was as smooth and conversational as the TL one. It was with the same individual too, so we got to share a bit of rapport. If there’s any secret sauce I can provide about the process, I picked up on a hint that my recommendations played a big part in the selection.

The next day, I was offered the position.

I’m now a Section Lead for a new group of UX students. I was in their exact position a few months ago. I’ve gone through the curriculum and can tell them to trust the process because I believe in it. They will have all of the same opportunities to develop they’re skills and become TL’s if they so choose. My advice to them if they’re considering is to try they’re absolute best as students and treat Lambda like it’s an employer — be professional. When it’s time to apply, don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations.