Shifting to a Tech Career Before 40

As a career changer previously working in insurance and in a government agency, I felt I have heaps of transferable skills that are highly important in a tech role, particularly problem-solving, communication, organization, and people skills. Thus, I was quite positive that, like so many people who have successfully transitioned to the tech industry, I, too, can make it happen. But as to when or what it entailed for someone with my background and skillset to actually land a job, I was somewhat naïve.

After finishing a web development bootcamp, my struggle to get hired for a tech role was real. I had to deal with plenty of application rejections and a couple of almost-hired (but they prefer a junior engineer with more experience and/or a university computer science degree). In some, I would pass the behavioral interview only to be found wanting in the technical interview. This, one after the other, really crushed my morale and motivation, and I doubted many times if my decision to change careers was actually wise.

Coming to NZ and Career Hiatus

For a good 5 years, I worked as an insurance adviser and unit manager at AXA Philippines, and it was something I really enjoyed and loved particularly because of the value I brought to my clients’ financial well-being and preparedness. But in 2018, my husband and I decided to move to New Zealand with our 2 kids in the hope of giving them access to better opportunities in the future. With no work experience in my new country, I was so happy to land a role in the Department of Corrections working as an electronic monitoring bail administrator, working closely with staff from court, prison, and the police. It was practically Kiwi 101 to me while at the same time doing my bit to help keep NZ communities safe.

My time there, however, was interrupted because my daughter got diagnosed with leukemia and had to undergo chemotherapy treatment for over 2 years. As my husband is the main income earner in the family, we decided for me to take a break from work so I can focus on taking care of our precious little girl. Thankfully, she is now well and living her best life. Her healing came at the most perfect time for me career-wise because something unexpected came along.

Studying Web Development

After a year since I resumed work at the Department of Corrections, doors opened for me to study web development, which I had considered for some time being surrounded by friends who were relentless in encouraging me to shift to a tech role – it is challenging, financially sustainable, and offers great flexibility and better opportunities for career advancement. Due to the depressing effects of the pandemic on the economy, the NZ government decided to extend the Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF) to industry training programs such as web development, which made it possible for me to save almost NZD 10,000 in tuition! Having heard of real-people stories of career shifters successfully pivoting into tech, I left my day job and enrolled myself in an intensive web development bootcamp at Dev Academy.

In the first month, I learned foundational concepts before diving right into coding. Not long after, I was already building web applications with my teammates and consistently picking up new technologies each week for the next 3 to 4 months. At that time, it had been over 13 years since I last finished university. I felt rusty, but it was compensated by the stimulating academic environment I found myself in once more and being around a bright mix of students and instructors. The training was everything they said it was going to be – fast-paced, demanding, yet supportive.

Sounds cliché, but that's only half the story.

To be honest, I wrestled with a lot in those months. First of all, choosing to be on campus every day was tough for a mother of 2. Although there was an option to do it fully online, I made myself present onsite each day because I knew that being around people and interacting with my cohort in person was a unique experience, especially post-pandemic (kind of). Being able to work effectively with others is a valuable skill in the actual workplace, and I understood that I needed the human interaction. But this meant leaving home early in the morning and coming home late in the day. In those months, my husband covered school drop-off and pick-up, dinner preparation, bedtime storytelling, and so much more, just so I could focus on the bootcamp. If I didn’t have the level of support I had, it would have been nearly impossible for me to finish the course.

The other thing I struggled with was learning (again). Not having any prior experience in coding, I found it really difficult at first to understand the exercises and write my own code. I wished I could have prepared more before doing the actual course, particularly on the basics of JavaScript. The learning curve was so steep in my case that it was only towards the later part of the program when everything started to click. Now I don’t want to use the age card, but to be completely honest, I found it difficult to learn so many complex new things at the same time at 39. I don’t know how others started to code at a much later age, but they are hands down incredible for not giving up. I am thankful the concept of the Growth Mindset was instilled in us at the onset of the course. I held on to it during those times when I felt uneasy or lacking, unaware of the magic happening under the surface .

One very important skill that I developed in the process was learning agility. As someone who likes to wrap their head around a concept fully before moving to the next thing, the accelerated speed at which the course transitioned from one lesson to another really made me extremely uncomfortable. But what I did not realize then was that it trained me to learn things fast, which makes sense if you consider the pace that technology is changing, and prepared me for real work situations wherein as a developer I have to take initiative in finding solutions. In addition, I recognized that if there is anything that is not clear to me, I am accountable to supplement my learning in ways that I know works for me.

Amidst these struggles, I found so much support from my cohort and the awesome people behind Dev Academy. Because we each came from different backgrounds, with varying skills and experience, I never felt ashamed of my limited knowledge, or embarrassed when I asked stupid questions, or hesitated to ask for help. I felt it was a completely safe environment to be honest about what I knew and didn't. The program also comes with an engaging human skills course, which really helped me come to terms with my limitations and taught me how to effectively give and receive feedback.

The Realities of Job Hunting

When I finally finished the course in December 2021, and after taking a much-needed break during the Christmas holidays, the search for a job in tech began. It didn’t take long for me to be considered by recruiters. In my CV, I was able to highlight the transferable skills I gained from prior work experience and how they would be useful in the roles I was applying for. In behavioral interviews, I anchored on my values and leaned on my communication skills, and I can say it is one area that I am quite confident about. But my nemesis was technical interviews, which often throws me off my game. I would get nervous and go blank – totally not a good formula for success in job interviews. I had to figure out a way to improve my skills and boost my confidence so I do not crumble under pressure. I have laid out some suggestions in Practical Advice for Tech Newbies on Preparing for Job Interviews based on my experience.

Landing a Job and What’s Next

Getting a job offer almost a year after I quit my last job was such a relief. Although I do not start until February 2023, it's as if the universe is finally smiling back at me and giving a thumbs-up for all my hard work. I remember feeling hopeless because the wait to hear if I got the role seemed like eternity. But when I learned of the wonderful news, and after all the celebration (characterized by a spontaneous group hug with my husband and kids while screaming and jumping together as if we'd won a championship game) and the adrenaline high subsided, it hit me, what now? As one whose background is heavily JavaScript and web development, I have very little knowledge and no experience in some of the tech my new organization is using, such as C# and .NET. Although I have received some reassurance that I will be learning these on the job together with my cohort of grad engineers and there will be so much support available, I still feel compelled to put in some preparatory work so I can get a head start. While not having spent 4 years in university studying computer science still makes me feel short of something, it also has the positive effect of motivating me to upskill and continue learning. Finally, there’s the exciting thought of working with new people and building relationships again. Indeed, so many beautiful things to look forward to.

As someone who has always been eager for challenges, my experience in the past year had really tested my commitment to my goals. A year ago, I only dreamed of working in tech, unaware of what it really entails to get from zero to being a developer. The entire process wasn’t smooth-sailing, but the struggles made the outcome truly a sweet success.