I was a manager at Trader Joe’s, a popular grocery store in the USA. It was a good job, but I wanted to do something more fulfilling. I wanted to build a career. My husband James kept telling me I should try coding because I have the brain for it. I did not consider it because I was already studying to get a degree in Business Management, and I was working full-time at Trader Joe’s.
When the pandemic hit California in 2020, everything changed. Working at Trader Joe’s was extremely stressful. While many people were allowed to work from home, that option was not available for me as a store manager. I had to go in five days a week and deal with the concerns of the customers and crew.
One day James and I were talking about how we needed to make a change. We decided we would move to Spain. We had planned on making the move in 5-10 years, but since the pandemic hit, we were ready to go. James could keep his job and move abroad. I had to think of a new career. I decided to teach English as a second language, which meant I needed to study for my TEFL certification. I found the International Tefl Academy, and began the year-long process of getting certified. I received my certificate in December of 2020.
Our next task was planning the big move. The world was in lockdown, and moving abroad did not seem possible. The only thing we could do was research how to move to another country, where to go, and how we could fly with our dogs. Moving abroad with dogs is no easy task. That will be a story for another time.
Knuckles and Peppy
Knuckles Traveling
Peppy Traveling
I cannot remember the day I saw the news, but it said that on June 7, 2021, Spain would allow people to enter Spain!! That was the sign I was looking for since my birthday is on June 7th.
We decided to leave California on August 16, 2021. We sold almost everything we owned, gave tons of stuff away (including my Volkswagen Beetle to my mother), and said our goodbyes to our dear family and friends. We arrived in Madrid on August 17, 2020. We could not believe we actually did it! We moved to Spain!!!! Olé! 🇪🇸
Trader Joe's Mates
My Mom
Dear Friends
After a few weeks of getting settled and finding a new apartment it was time to get to business. I needed to get my Spanish Residency and permission to work. The residency process took over two years (again, that is a story for another time). Luckily, I was allowed to work while my residency application was in process because I am married to an EU Citizen.
Long story short, I was hired at an academy teaching English. My first year was quite the experience, and although there are aspects that I enjoy about teaching, I have come to terms with the fact that teaching English isn’t my passion. Instead, I found coding fulfills my need to solve problems and create beautiful things. It's a win-win!
I saw an advert for SheCodes one day in the Summer of 2022. "Free coding class for Beginners" is what the ad stated. I thought, why not try it. I signed up for the free webinar and loved it. Of course, my husband said, “I knew you would love it. You should have listened to me when I told you to take up coding years ago!” Ha ha ha! He was not wrong.
I signed up for more lessons after taking the free course, and little by little, I completed each course until I achieved the Frontend Developer Certification.
Along the way, I built a Weather app, Dictionary app, Travel app, World clock, and much more.
Now, my husband and I are starting our business, called Three Gloves, designing and building websites. We are web designers & developers specialising in building rich digital experiences. We combine deep technical knowledge with a sense of design to create impressive visual works featuring interactivity and animation. We build websites which are both beautiful, accessible and simple to maintain. We empower small businesses to grow, using state of the art digital solutions.
My message to Matt Delac and the SheCodes Team, “I started my coding journey on 8 August 2022. It has been over one year of learning and growing, and it's been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. Matt Delac and his SheCodes team have been wonderfully supportive. Thank you, Matt, for starting your company and helping over 180,000 students (as of today) learn to code. I am happy to be one of the many women from 191 countries who have learned to code from you and your team. I already have freelance work building a couple of websites, and I am excited to grow our Three Gloves business with my husband, James. For anyone hoping to take their career in a new direction, I highly recommend learning to code with SheCodes. The SheCodes Max (with all the add-ons) will give you all the skills and tools to launch a new career as a front-end developer. Thank you again to Matt Delac and the SheCodes Team!!”