How Quinn went from a professor to a React developer thanks to SheCodes Pro.
๐โโ๏ธ Before SheCodes
Quinn is a passionate SheCodes student from Columbus, Ohio, USA. She went from a Professor to a Junior React Developer in just 6 months ๐ We couldnโt be prouder!!
Quinn had been working in the field of education for nearly 10 years, first as a Graduate TA and then as an Assistant Professor. She enjoys knitting, reading, singing, swimming, and learning new languages in her free time. She first became interested in coding due to her love of languages.
โI am a language nerd! I have a PhD in Classics and taught Greek and Latin at a university for five years. I saw several friends get into coding over the years and my language brain was intrigued by the functionality of JavaScript and the ways in which the coding languages develop over time.โ
Her interest in coding grew over time because sheโd decided that she wanted a job with more flexibility. Hence, she decided to take the plunge and learn how to code ๐คฉ
โI was about to apply for tenure at my university, but realized that I wanted a career with more mobility and flexibility.โ
๐ฉโ๐ป Her SheCodes Experience
Before SheCodes, Quinn had tried some other platforms to learn how to code, but didnโt really enjoy the setup and was having difficulties applying her new coding knowledge. She thoroughly enjoyed the SheCodes setup and community. ๐
โI had tried some of the apps for learning to code, and found that SheCodes was much more interactive and had better feedback. Rather than doing a multiple choice test, for instance, SheCodes has you apply what you learn in a new context using real-life problems and tools. This is a very effective learning technique. The setup provided the right balance of structure and flexibility for me and the Slack channel was great for moments where I felt stuck.โ
โI chose SheCodes in particular because I liked the idea of having a support network of other women in an industry that can be very male-dominated.โ
Along with the setup of the workshops, Quinn enjoyed solving the challenges, the supportive community, and building projects to showcase what she's learned.ย
โI loved the "aha" moments where I was able to apply and understand a difficult concept in the challenges--like creating a loop to run the weekly forecast from the API on the weather application. I also loved having some projects to show off at the end.โย
โI felt supported in my growth as a coder and I was not afraid to ask questions. I have also loved getting LinkedIn requests from other SheCoders.โ
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โSheCodes is a great way for self-motivated people to gain a new skillset. It gets you coding fast and leaves you with something to show for your work.โย
โI highly recommend Responsive for anyone who wants to create a portfolio page.โ
๐ How SheCodes has Helped to Change Her Life
At first, Quinn was able to use her new coding knowledge to improve her skill set as a professor. Then, upon learning JavaScript, Quinn found a new direction for her career.
โI was able to apply some of the HTML knowledge immediately in my current job as a professor. It was really rewarding to be able to tweak my lesson designs and add things like iframes as I was putting my classes online. I really found my direction when we learned more Javascript. I love the structure of that language and found a lot of overlap with the ancient languages I have learned in terms of analyzing syntax and creating things like if/else statements. I was certain at that point that coding was the right path for me.โ
Quinn got a job as a Junior React Developer working for S4 NetQuest! Weโre so happy that Quinn has found a new position to mix her passion of learning new languages (like coding) with higher education!ย
โJust after finishing SheCodes React I landed a position as a React developer at an e-Learning company that valued the combination of the SheCodes training, plus my background in higher education. Iโm so excited to be starting a new career in the tech world.โ
In her daily work, she codes custom interactive e-learning modules for use in corporate training and works with a small development team using tools like React, Axios, Bootstrap and more. She is loving her work so far and also has some perks that she didnโt have before ๐ย
โI am looking forward to living closer to family, having a healthier work-life balance, and achieving better career security by continuing to cultivate in-demand skills.โย
In her coding future, sheโd like to dive even deeper into JavaScript algorithms!
๐ฉโ๐ผ Advice to Future SheCodes Student
Quinnโs advice is to apply everything you learn in ways that are meaningful to you. And to be open to working on outside projects to demonstrate your motivation and skills.
โIt is so important to keep applying everything you learn, and to do so in ways that are meaningful to you. As you work on the projects for SheCodes, I recommend staying open to ideas for projects that you could start on your own and put on GitHub. This shows potential employers that you are self-motivated and able to apply your learning in new contexts. I am currently working on a knitting pattern generator in Reactโ
Check out her newest project here ๐ https://hungry-hodgkin-86a672.netlify.app/
Quinnโs SheCodes Basics Testimonial
โI loved the experience of going from just some basic HTML knowledge to being able to build a pretty good looking page with some interactivity in under three weeks! The videos are clear and the challenges make the lesson stick. I also love that you can pace yourself however you want as you move through the videos.โ
Quinnโs SheCodes Plus Testimonial
โMatt's videos are clear and the Slack channel is helpful when I get stuck. I was SO amazed at what we were able to do with the weather API. I now see such a cool range of possibilities for Javascript and I can't wait to go on to React!โ
Quinnโs SheCodes Responsive Testimonial
โSheCodes Responsive guided me through the process of making a polished portfolio site that looks good on mobile. CSS media queries and flexbox took my designs to the next level. It was another great experience after doing Plus and React!โ
Quinnโs SheCodes React Testimonial
โReact was a challenge at times but it makes things so much more efficient in the end! I loved the experience of rebuilding my weather site using React components and will continue to play with it even after finishing the workshop.โ
