How Jéssica went from an Industrial Engineer to a Front-end Developer thanks to the knowledge she gained in the SheCodes Plus workshop.
🙍♀️ Before SheCodes
Jéssica is one of our students who started her coding journey with us back when we still had onsite workshops in Portugal. 😍 She’s originally from Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal, and is still living there today.
In university, Jéssica received an undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering and Management. She then received a Master’s degree in Service Management. After school, she went on to work in data processing and analysis, quality management and industrial planning, and research and development. She has a diverse background for sure 😄
She enjoys doing yoga, reading, and gaming in her free time. 🧘♀️ 📖 🎮 Her interest in coding first arose when she was working on a website for a side project and realized that she wanted more freedom in customizing her page.
“I was creating a website for a side project using a Wordpress page builder and I wanted to have more flexibility in changing the templates using CSS, so I started learning a bit of coding with free resources online and became more and more invested in it. However it was difficult to filter relevant information and I was missing some structure. So I started searching for a course that would be affordable, beginner friendly and be able to provide me basic knowledge about coding in HTML and CSS. In the middle of that search, I heard of SheCodes and I decided to take the leap and sign up.”
…and we couldn’t be happier that she did!!
👩💻 Her SheCodes Experience
In Jéssica’s opinion, compared to some other free coding resources that she had used (such as freeCodeCamp), SheCodes was more fun and also had a better structure. 👩💻
“SheCodes gives you a simpler, more structured and fun experience learning how to code and it provides a sense of community and a support system, by working together with other students while also having someone always available to help you resolve the exercises, building your project or clarify any doubts. It is also a very streamlined and simple step by step way of learning that I really appreciate, always followed with exercises that enable you to use the knowledge you gained and keep learning.”
Jéssica particularly enjoyed the support, community, workshop structure, and price of the workshops.
“For me it was fun and the best way to start learning how to code. Matt is an incredible teacher and really capable of keeping you interested, making every step simple and achievable and giving you the tools to resolve the exercises and build your projects on your own. Everyone on the team is amazing, every student I encountered was someone willing to help you grow, and the actual workshops are really well structured and give you a sense of accomplishment every time you complete an exercise and finish a module. I also think the workshops are really affordable, especially with everything that you learn in such a short amount of time.”
“Learning with other women was a really good experience, everyone was awesome, non-judgmental and there to help each other learn and get the most of this experience.”
Check out Jéssica’s React Weather app, hosted on Netlify 👉 https://quirky-jennings-f60c77.netlify.app/
🙋 How SheCodes has Helped to Change Her Life
After finishing SheCodes, Jéssica changed her career path from an Industrial Engineer working in Quality Management to a Junior Front-end Developer. She found her current role through a post in the SheCodes Slack from a former student whose company was looking for a developer. She started working as a junior front-end developer shortly after her SheCodes experience. We’re so proud! 💜
“After I finished the first workshop I wanted to learn more and explore this path, so I signed up for the SheCodes Plus Workshop where I learned more JS and React and after that I was certain I wanted to at least try working as a developer so I immediately started looking for a job or internship opportunity. And I was able to apply for a job and complete their challenge right after the workshop with all I had learned in SheCodes and the capability it gave me to know how to search and filter new information and resolve issues. I got my first job as a junior front-end developer just a little more than a month after SheCodes and I am incredibly happy to have this opportunity to do something that I love as a job. So thank you Matt and all the SheCodes team for making this opportunity possible.”
She is currently working at Marzee Labs, a company that works towards building fast and secure websites using the latest technologies. She uses React and JavaScript nearly every day. 😍
“In my daily tasks, I build websites and web applications, mainly in React and JavaScript. A typical work day includes mostly coding, some team meetings, and sometimes client meetings.”
Compared to her previous job, Jéssica enjoys her current job as a developer a lot more. She really enjoys her daily work, developing new skills, and the diversity in the work that she does. Her team and work environment are also really enjoyable. Plus, she has some job perks that she didn’t have before! 😊
“First and foremost, I really enjoy my current job and the actual work more as a developer than as an industrial engineer. Comparing it with my former work experiences I earn more, have more flexible work hours and I am able to work remotely being from home or a co-working space the company provided.”
We are so happy that Jéssica is thriving in her new job and is enjoying working as a front-end developer. 🤩 In her coding future, she’d like to dive into back-end development and deepen her development knowledge. We can’t wait to see her coding skills continue to grow and the future projects that she’ll create!
👩💼 Advice to Future SheCodes Student
Jéssica recommends our workshops for people who have little or no coding experience. She also recommends to keep on track, never give up, and to ask for help if you need it 💪 💻
“I would say that if you want to learn to code and have no or little experience, these might be the right workshops for you. Try to keep up with the schedule and do your best to not fall behind, it is very doable and, if you do keep up with it, it will be easier and you will feel more and more capable of finishing it and creating an amazing project that you are proud of. Don't give up when you get stuck, search for a resolution on your own so you get some experience with finding what you need and if you can't find it on your own ask for help, there will be always someone to help you get through.”
Jessica’s SheCodes Basics Testimonial
“SheCodes is an amazing program to get introduced to the basics of front-end development and experiment with coding. Everyone on the team, especially Matt, were great and explained a lot about the industry and possible career options! Can't wait to enroll on SheCodes Plus and keep learning and improving my coding skills 😄”
Jessica’s SheCodes Plus React Testimonial
“SheCodes is an excellent program to develop front end skills. The course is very well structured and every week you learn something new and apply it immediately. It is challenging, however you never feel alone because of the support you encounter, both from the team and the amazing people doing the course with you. I feel inspired to keep developing my skills and pursue a career in this field. Thank you Matt and the team!”
