Developing Opportunities
Pipeline to success
How does someone emerge from a life sentence in prison to work at an international tech company as a Software Engineer in only three years? I’ll share some of the key resources, challenges, and experiences that made it happen for me.
The Last Mile
In 2019, I started The Last Mile’s (TLM) Track 1 while incarcerated at the California Institution for Women. Track 1 covered HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Bootstrap, and jQuery. We did not have any internet access, so the primary resources were books and something akin to an offline version of MDN. We could only use the computers during class hours. In March of 2020, I finished Track 1, was deemed suitable for parole by the Board of Parole Hearings, and then COVID sent the prisons and the world into lockdown. We got cut off from the computers and my skills grew rusty.
Four months later, I paroled to a reentry program. A week later, I reached out to TLM (using a smartphone after 15 years incarcerated had its own set of challenges such as learning how to accept incoming calls). TLM sent me a laptop and a Udemy account. The reentry program barred access to my laptop for a few months until I reached a higher phase. While waiting, I looked up job postings on my phone. It was extremely discouraging to see jobs requiring 3 years experience in tech stacks that I had no clue about, not to mention the uncertainty of how to craft a resume or cover letter that would not shout out that I had just spent 15 years in prison. I began wrestling with fears that the tech world would be closed to me. Perhaps programming would be only a hobby.
Once I had computer access, all my free time was spent refreshing my skills via tutorials and creating a portfolio. This I squeezed between time spent working full time at a clerical job, house chores, CORE (house leadership) duties, and attending groups.
TLM’s reentry advocate was invaluable. Her encouragement and help with connecting me to resources kept me going. One was the Next Chapter (NC), which helped me overcome the barrier of my background to obtain a Software Engineer position. Part of NC was passing Hack Reactor’s Technical Admissions Assessment.
My TLM mentor helped me target skills that are essential for tech. I learned Git, web search best practices, stack overflow, and debugging processes. Words cannot express my gratitude for the affirmations and guidance he provided.
NC’s hiring partners did not bite when I first applied. My mentor provided encouragement as I continued to develop my skills.
Next Chapter
In March, when NC applications opened up again, I applied and Checkr selected me to interview. I was elated! I researched Checkr, practiced interviewing, networked, and did coding challenges to prepare. Checkr’s core values, especially of transparency, further fueled my excitement.
I interviewed with Checkr on May 11th, 2021. I felt there was no bias as we talked about the work and skills I developed since prison. I did a technical challenge based on my programming language of choice. Just doing the interview was such a sign of progress in my journey.
Less than a week later NC called to say Checkr was accepting me as an intern. I immediately put in my 2 weeks notice. I made arrangements to move to a sober living house that would satisfy parole requirements and allow me to meet Hack Reactor’s demanding schedule. This coding bootcamp was part of the pre-internship process. I poured everything I had into Hack Reactor’s rigorous precourse.
Hack Reactor
June 14th, 2021 I started Hack Reactor. It was a deluge of information packed into a short timeframe. For 12 hours a day, I completed varied coursework, spending a few hours afterwards in voluntary study groups. I met brilliant people and made great friends. In the six weeks leading up to the Technical Assessment, we covered JavaScript, Data Structures, Algorithms, React, Redux, Node, Express, MySQL, and MongoDB. Halfway through the program I encountered problems with the sober living’s wifi, the data drain on my mobile hotspot, and a change in management which would require me to attend more groups. I moved in with my family as soon as parole approved it. This move allowed me to focus completely on Hack Reactor’s demanding curriculum.
After the Technical Assessment on July 19, 2021, we pivoted to improving our skills working as teams. We were introduced to Postgres, AWS, Docker, NGINX, and were given more creative freedom over our projects as well as the tech we used to build them. Exposure to so many new technologies and concepts thrilled me. I graduated September 10th, 2021, feeling prepared to be a full stack software engineer. However, that was a bit of a false sense of security. Real repos were overwhelmingly huge compared to what I had learned with.
Checkr Internship
On September 27, 2021, my Checkr internship kicked off with a welcome from PeopleOps, introduction, quick overview of Checkr benefits, and who to go to for additional help. Shortly after, I met my manager and Checkr mentor. The Engineering First Day Setup confluence page guided me through setting up my work station. My mentor helped troubleshoot, provide insight, and gave tips for efficient setups. My manager provided a checklist for onboarding. The team gave me an introductory work ticket which I paired with my mentor to complete. The vast scale and complexity of the Checkr applications was mind-blowing.
The next week I began a company ‘bootcamp’ with the fun and supportive team responsible for front end tooling. They assigned me another mentor who was amazing at checking in and pairing with me when needed. I learned TypeScript on a whole new level, React Query, how to manipulate API for frontend development, and the difference between staging and production.
After a short month with the frontend tooling team, I began working with my assigned team. We doubled in size and split into two teams. I learned from seeing how other engineers navigated the onboarding process and ramped up. Taking a page out of my new manager’s book, I started setting up “coffee chats” with my team. This built connections and revealed the strengths of my teammates.
Throughout the internship I met with my mentors and supervisors every week. Those meetings took a pulse of what support I needed and clarified milestones towards a permanent position. Thanks to everyone’s transparency, my mid-internship review held no surprises. I appreciated the layout and the clear action items presented.
The remainder of the internship included work in the backend and increasing velocity. My team curated tickets to help me grow and they supported me when I got blocked. With more experience of the repos, Checkr practices, and teamwork I was able to meet these goals and secure a permanent position. Thanks to the support of my manager, team, and Checkr I was able to confidently become an entry-level Software Engineer on March 1, 2022.
Closing
It has been an incredible journey so far and the road ahead looks sensational. Anyone with an interest in software engineering should go for it. It can be challenging, but don’t give up. Keep building your skills and portfolio. Leverage your network or build it up by reaching out to people in the field. There are many people who would love to offer feedback, insights and sometimes opportunities if you ask.
