Meet Ilse: from hungry for a challenge to now a Jr Front-end Developer

I’m Ilse and I am from México! I left my country in 2012 and since then I’ve lived in Spain and the Netherlands.

My academic background is in Audiovisual Production, but I’ve always been curious about maths and science (I have a technical degree in Programming, Physics, and Mathematics). When I started my work life I did a bit of everything, from working for a bit in the film industry in Mexico to being a translator & proofreader for Booking.com and then taking a job as an HR Generalist + Bookkeeper where I developed Management experience. I’ve always been curious about the world, meeting people, and gathering experiences!

Like many of us, the pandemic made me question where I wanted to go in life, how I wanted to further my career and sort of gather my vast (and collage-like) work experience. The pandemic made me realize how things can change in a second and how to enter “resourceful mode” in a heartbeat. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do but I was very hungry for a challenge and I was yearning to put my brains to the test. The isolation and uncertainty brought by the times were the ultimate reset button. So I decided I wanted to build from it, and learning how to code was a shiny beam of hope that seemed to gather everything I love: creativity, challenge/perseverance, and being a part of a collaborative community.

I wanted to immerse myself in the subject, so I read what could be achieved by completing a coding bootcamp. I narrowed the options down and talked with some of the people in charge, but the first interview I had at Le Wagon with Gus was the deciding factor. It was such a candid talk where I could ask questions and that’s where the journey began.

I finished my batch in December 2020 and since then, I started working on web development/SEO projects. I recently got a job as a Jr Frontend Developer at Holded. I am very grateful to have the chance to work in a company where every day brings a lot of learning and I’m surrounded by a team of very smart people that are always happy to share knowledge and are very supportive of Jr profiles like mine!

I can only talk from personal experience, but use your resources: projects you can get involved with, coding challenges, job interviews, job applications, etc. It can all act as a resource to dip your feet in the water, find what you want to do and where you want to go. The path is not defined for anyone, but we all get to experience things that might point us in the right direction! Don’t be shy to mention you are looking for a job or to put yourself out there for working on projects you are interested in.

I think we can all acquire technical knowledge with practice and research, but working with a team of developers is a great thing to learn as well! How to distribute and prioritize tasks and not being shy to ask around when you are feeling lost. Learning to discuss and justify your code is very important too!

The moments I got to spend with my classmates and teachers, talking about how intense/fast days were going by, laughing about it, and sharing the experience with like-minded people that became great friends. Also, the materialization of our final (and ongoing!) project, Amandla.

I would recommend it to anyone curious about technology, and that is a broad spectrum, I know. But coding is a skill that can be an incredibly powerful tool and if you feel like you can benefit in any way from it, don’t hesitate to join Le Wagon!

Never stop coding!

I just want to thank everyone that has brought knowledge, patience, and kindness to my life from the moment I decided to learn how to code! Acquiring a new skill is great and a lot of times a challenging feeling and I want to encourage anyone that reads this, at any stage they are in their lives, to do so. From learning to code a powerful algorithm to finally baking the best cake, never stop learning.