I graduated from the University of West London where I studied Business Studies and Marketing. I then failed to find a job where I could utilise and further develop my skills, so was forced to work odd, dead-end jobs which resulted in me job-hopping for years.
I had plans to start a proper career for a long time, but it was only 10 months ago when my daughter was born that I realised I had to make a change. I always wanted to work with computers as I've been building PCs since I was 8 years old, and I also developed a keen interest in AI, Machine Learning and Robotics. Having never seen a single line of code in my life and going back to University was not an option, I started looking for an alternative.
During my research, I came across Le Wagon. It had great reviews not only by the students but also from employers. So I took a leap of faith!
When I joined Le Wagon, at the beginning it was tough! I was drowning in code from day 0. There was a lot of pressure to succeed as I had left my job, invested all my savings in the course and had my family depending on me. I felt absolutely devastated for the first 3 weeks because I thought I was terrible at coding. I started questioning myself and thought maybe I'm just not cut out for this thing. But in the 4th week everything 'clicked'. Everything started to make sense and there I was creating a functional piece of software.
The most rewarding was when I was able to work on my own and contribute to our team project.
The most challenging part for me was definitely the first three weeks. I couldn't have asked for a better team. We were really well organised and super synced so there were never any hiccups or conflicts within the team. Our project was called Sammi. Sammi is an app that enables teachers to support their students’ emotional and social development. It was designed for teachers to understand how their students are feeling and prompt important conversations around mental health. (
www.sammi.live) Before joining Le Wagon, I had a vision of where I would like to be after the bootcamp, but without a proper plan.
I knew what my top goal was and doing this bootcamp was my initial step towards it.
I think these days it is fundamental to learn to code! I am a hard believer that physical labour should be done by a machine-controlled and maintained by a human operator. Automation is the future and right now it's at a tipping point.
I'd like to follow through with my plan and learn more about Machine Learning, Data Science and also Neuroscience. I'm already learning 4 more computer languages thanks to my new employer's unlimited support and once we finish and deploy the MVP we're currently working on, I'll be able to apply my new skills in the next phase of the project.
If working in the tech industry has always been your calling, just do it. Hop on the Wagon and just enjoy the ride.
Don't be afraid and believe in yourself and trust the process! If you are struggling with the code, take a 10 minute break, have a cup of coffee, clear your head and jump back into it. Sooner or later it will start making sense.
I'd like to thank everyone who supported me and believed in me throughout the course. I know sometimes I was a difficult and quite emotional student, but you were always there to help me and cheer me up and you've played a role in changing my life.
Becoming a part of the Le Wagon family gave me a sense of belonging and I did shed tears on the last day.
