Student Spotlight: Sharon

Let’s check in with Sharon. LEARN why she made the decision to switch careers to web development and how LEARN is helping her gain the necessary skills.

1. What made you decide to choose a career in web development?

I have a friend in web dev that turned me on to it. He got me involved in going to Meetups and encouraged me to look into coding more. I’ve always loved computers and I like problem-solving, so after getting my feet wet, I got interested in learning more about it.

2. Do you have any past educational or work experience in web development?

I didn’t have much prior experience in coding. I did a little HTML in a past job, but nothing like CSS and certainly not Javascript. I had taken a Railsbridge workshop and played around with coding on my own, but nothing formal.

3. Were you nervous about switching careers?

I was, and still am! It’s terrifying to uproot your life and try something new. Leaving your job and taking on debt is a scary step, but I’ve been told by lots of people that web development is really rewarding and challenging at the same time. I’m excited about the possibilities that this change will bring.

4. Why did you choose LEARN Academy?

LEARN sponsored the Railsbridge workshop I went to and I got to meet Hillary, who is amazing! I kept in touch with her ever since the workshop and kept LEARN in the back of my mind. Ultimately what made me choose to LEARN was the good things people had to say about it and especially the internship that follows the bootcamp. It’s a great way to get your foot in the door.

5. What week are you in? How are you liking your experience so far?

I just started week four. I have enjoyed my time at LEARN, but it’s more difficult than I imagined. It’s definitely a bootcamp environment, but I’ve got a great class, supportive instructors and have learned a lot so far. I can’t believe it’s been a month already. Time flew!

6. What advice would you give students choosing to enroll in LEARN?

My advice would be to prepare as much as you can before you start. There are materials that LEARN sends out in the weeks leading up to bootcamp which are really helpful, but there’s no reason to wait until then to start! I would dive into your coding language and get a bit of a foundation going before you begin. It makes the fast pace easier. Also, the Jumpstart program at LEARN was really helpful too.