How Anna went from a teacher to a QA Tester after learning to code in SheCodes Pro
๐โโ๏ธ Before SheCodes
Anna is a dedicated and hardworking student from Italy, currently living near Venice. ๐ฎ๐น She has a strong interest in literature and sports - sheโs a national floorball athlete and also practices American football in her free time. Along with these interests, Anna also enjoys foreign languages.ย
During the pandemic, Anna was teaching distance learning classes. Since she was enjoying teaching foreign languages so much that she decided she should expand her language repertoire and also learn a few coding languages. Her interest in coding was born and it grew over time as she started learning more and more.ย ๐ ๐ป
โI became interested in coding while teaching languages during the pandemic year. Coding was a hobby at first, which I used to relax and distract myself after hours spent in the processes of organizing distance learning classes.โ
๐ฉโ๐ป Her SheCodes Experience
In Annaโs search for an online coding course, she found SheCodes on Instagram. The mission of SheCodes enticed her and she decided to jump right into her first coding workshop! ๐ฉโ๐ปย
โI wanted to give structure to what I was learning, and SheCodes' mission concerning the gender gap is something that deeply interests me on many levels: sports, careers, life in general. At first, I wasn't considering a career switch from my position as a teacher. I wanted to know if the coding world was meant for me. Then, with more knowledge came more motivation!โ
During her SheCodes journey, Annaโs favorite task was creating a fully functioning project in SheCodes Plus using all of the coding knowledge sheโd gained at the time. She also loved learning React. She says thatโs where she started to feel really confident in her coding skills. ๐ย
Overall, Anna enjoyed the SheCodes community, learning with other women, the affordability of the workshops, the flexibility, and the format. ๐ย
โBefore SheCodes, I took some classes on Udemy. The main difference to me with SheCodes was the presence of the whole SheCodes community. I felt supported through the entire path, by the staff and the other learners as well. It was rewarding and motivating learning with other women. I felt so inspired by so many talented women and their amazing projects! I am glad I have become part of its community!โ
โThe courses are affordable. I am happy I made the investment in what turned out to be a career switch opportunity! I took the courses while I was still working full time as a schoolteacher, so I needed a flexible program. The format of the courses was ideal, since I could organize my hours of study and practice autonomously, and the weekly homework kept me on track.โ
๐ How SheCodes has Helped to Change Her Life
As Anna fell in love with coding during SheCodes, she decided to change her career path and work in tech. She began to engage more with local development communities, where she did a lot of networking. She met many people in the tech field and felt extremely motivated to make a career switch. She took a UX/UI course and also continued to strengthen her coding skills by building more of her own hands-on coding projects. Thanks to her new coding knowledge, she also was able to partake in the development of the Italian National Floorball Teamโs website. ๐ ๐ฎ๐นย
โSheCodes has led me to a huge change. After entering the world of coding through the courses, I decided to try and look for a different career path in the coding world. I asked for advice from the developers I had met in local tech communities, and I had a good look at the Career Guide SheCodes offers on the website. I fixed my portfolio and projects, and I sent out an application to a local company."
โI worked on coding projects which involved my other passions, such as the discipline of floorball. I was included in the promotion and development of the new website, and I have also worked on a portfolio for the Italian national team, to help present the team to potential sponsors for the World Championships. All of this was possible thanks to what I learnt with SheCodes.โ
She applied for a few different roles and got hired as a Quality Assurance Tester Intern at Uqido, an IT company based in Italy. ๐คฉย ๐ Sheโs really enjoying this new role so far and says that she still has time for her sports and professional career, as well.
โI went from being a schoolteacher to strengthening my skills in front-end development in the year of the pandemic, and I have been offered an internship as a QA Tester. I couldnโt be happier!โ
Anna says that each day is an exciting challenge and that sheโs always learning something new that can help her improve her daily tasks. Some of her daily tasks include: applying different testing phases to new projects according to the work group's objectives and the client's requests, helping the development team improve the web and mobile applicationsโ quality through different testing procedures and bug reports, closely monitoring every step of each project, and getting involved in the development process. ๐ช ๐ป Weโre so happy that Anna is enjoying her new role so far - and that SheCodes helped her get there!ย
โWorking at Uqido as a QA Tester intern has proven to be an exciting challenge for me. In these months I've been learning something new every day, and I have the opportunity to apply such knowledge in my daily tasks.โ
โTo enter such a job field was a big step out of my comfort zone. Step by step, I can say I'm already going through such a rewarding experience, and it begun when SheCodes gave me the first tools to start my first coding adventure.โ
Anna is especially enjoying that she is able to incorporate some aspects of her previous job as a teacher with her current job as a QA Tester. ๐ย
โI made quite the radical career switch from teaching to tech! It's a whole new world, but there are some things I am bringing with me from my previous job. Teamwork, adaptability, flexibility, creativity, the ability to build and tailor your own resources. And last but not least, an open mind and the will to learn. Moreover, in my new career I will be dealing with the concept of accessibility, and my background as a special needs teacher can be a valid help in testing projects and providing quality assurance.โ
Anna hopes to continue to do her part in helping to close the gender gap in tech. She plans to expand her coding knowledge and be involved in projects embracing the two worlds of education and tech. ๐ฉโ๐ซย ๐ฉโ๐ป We feel very confident that there are big things in store in her coding future!!ย
๐ฉโ๐ผ Advice to Future SheCodes Student
Annaโs advice is to start with the SheCodes free class and gradually grow your coding knowledge. She recommends that you take your coding journey step by step, because that way, the coding mountain will not be too high. ๐ โฐ๐ป Weโd have to agree!!ย
โI'd say to sign up for a free workshop to begin with, and to give it a try with no fear. Even with little to no background in coding, it is possible to learn, and to get support from a fantastic community. The courses give you the opportunity to learn at your own pace, so you don't feel overwhelmed by new notions and concepts and gradually become more confident. I'd say: take it step by step, no mountain is too high if you just keep climbing :)โ
