Emily was a marketing agency account manager before discovering it was time to switch careers. How did she make the switch? A few years ago, she started to dabble with learning to code on her own, but she realized that she needed more support to make the transition. That led her to enroll in Bloc’s Web Developer Track. With the help of the program’s 360-support, she’s now a Software Developer for a company that creates website, marketing, and data solutions to help independent bicycle retailers and suppliers sell more products.
Tell us: what were you doing before Bloc?
I got my bachelor’s degree in anthropology and started working in photography and marketing in the bicycle industry soon after that. My work in marketing introduced me to working with front-end code.
I actually started dabbling with coding a couple years ago, taking various free online courses. I ended up going on a month-long work-abroad retreat with a group of people (most of them were programmers) and loved learning from them and seeing how they’ve been able to work remotely and travel. That pretty much sealed the deal for me. I knew I wanted to work full-time in web development.
Why did you end up enrolling at Bloc?
When I knew I was ready to commit time to a course, I considered a handful of in-person programs taught in my area. Most of them were full-time and would require me to quit my job. I wanted to continue earning an income so I started looking into online options. I found Bloc in my research and really liked the flexibility of the course and the mentorship component.
How did Bloc impact your career and life?
Bloc has impacted my life in so many ways. The experience was incredibly challenging, and emotional, but I just kept pushing. It’s so rewarding to be successful in something I worked so hard to get. It makes me want to grow and be better in more facets of my life, not just my career. In addition, I love the opportunities that come with this experience. Now that I’m in the industry, I can’t wait to keep growing and continue building a lifestyle around my new career. My only regret is not enrolling in Bloc sooner!
The program really challenged me to find answers on my own. There was the support of my mentors and fellow students, but often times I was more efficient Googling my way through issues. Having the community as a resource was huge when I hit a wall and needed a hand. Learning in this way prepared me to hit the ground running in my new job which was not something I feel I learned in a traditional university learning setting.
How was your mentor relationship beneficial to your learning experience?
My mentor meetings really forced me to communicate my thoughts about code more coherently. Learning how to communicate in this way has been beneficial for my new job because it’s helped me feel comfortable talking in depth about my code.
What has been your hardest challenge throughout the program?
The hardest challenge throughout the program was experiencing imposter syndrome. Turns out, a lot of developers feel that way! (Even my new boss.) The beauty of working as a developer is that you get to learn a ton of technologies and be challenged with new ideas constantly. However, it’s easy to let all of it make you feel small. Throughout the program, it was important for me to remember that I’ll always be learning. Every challenge is contributing to my growth. That mentality helped me stay on course.
What was your favorite aspect about the program?
Meeting new people. Even though Bloc is an online course, the Slack channel makes it really easy to connect with people in my area. The people I met were integral in keeping me motivated.
Tell us about your favorite project. What was it?
My favorite project was Blocipedia because I enjoyed the flow that came with building out the application from the view to the model. I built this at a point in the course when I was a lot more comfortable with programming and the project turned out to be a lot of fun!
Describe your new job!
I work with a team of twelve at a medium sized company. We build software for independent bicycle retailers. My job is a ton of fun because I get to work with awesome people and there’s always something new to work on. This is the first time I can confidently say that I love my job.
What’s your advice for perspective Bloc students?
Stay focused. There will be a lot times when you’ll think you’re not good enough or you’re not accelerating fast enough. A lot of us have felt that way! It’s just part of the process. Put in work everyday and do what you can to connect with people in your community.
