From dentist to developer: A conversation with Beth Collins

My guest today is Beth Collins. Beth is a former dentist-turned-developer. Beth decided to become a dentist around the age of 15 after taking a career assessment test.  She had a love of math, and science and thought that the healthcare field would be a good fit.  Once she made the decision, Beth pursued the path of becoming a dentist with absolute determination. At the age of 23, she became a dentist but soon realized that it was not a good fit. Join us as Beth recounts her career transition, and the many jobs she tried until she found development. Her journey shows us that where there is a will, there is a way. Find more about Beth at: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethcollins92/ Github: https://github.com/bethcollins92 Links mentioned in the episode: https://scrimba.com/learn/responsive

You are listening to the Anybodycancode podcast. I am  your host Amalia Cardenas. My guest today is Aaron Linton Chambers. Aaron is currently finishing up an 8-month Bootcamp. He is a trained visual artist and has a master's degree in visual communications. Aaron has always had a  passion for education, studying, and research. Before deciding to make the career transition into software development he worked as a primary and secondary school teacher and had the opportunity to live in Spain for six years where he further sharpened his teaching abilities. In this episode, We discuss what it's like to be in the middle of a Bootcamp. If you are thinking about enrolling in a Bootcamp and have questions about which one to pick, Aaron discusses the main reasons why he decided to enroll in the Bootcamp he is currently in. Find more about Aaron at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-linton-chambers/ Links mentioned in the episode: SightSeers By Ben Wheatley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA2tM_VzDSI Hobson's Choice: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobson's_Choice_(1954_film)

Stefi always had an interest in programming and in this episode, she talks about how she made the career transition from digital marketing to programming. We get into the fears of making a career transition and the pressure of making a career transition in front of an audience. Stefi shares how being part of a community made all of the difference in helping her not only get better at programming, but it was the key to making the career transition. Stay tuned to the very end where Stefi shares the personal habits and routines that contribute to her success. Learn more about Stefi    Twitter: @stefania_rosca Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/StefiRosca Blog: https://stefi.codes/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefaniarosca/?originalSubdomain=es A course that helped Stefi make a jump in her programming skills: CS150 by Havard https://online-learning.harvard.edu/course/cs50-introduction-computer-science?delta=0.   Find a mentor https://codingcoach.io/

My guest today is Christian Vielma. Christian is a Senior Software Engineer with over 10 years of experience. He is originally from Venezuela, but he moved to Miami, then California, and he now lives in Spain.  Christian specializes mostly on the back-end and has worked in different companies including Amazon and he is now at King. In his free time, he practices martial arts, plays volleyball, loves to travel play guitar, and volunteer. He is also running a fantastic Youtube channel that you have to check out called a Dev's Story. In his channel, he covers tech, career transitions into development, and computer science topics in a fun and engaging way. Christian has a fantastic interview series on his channel which I highly recommend for anybody looking to get better at technical interviews. Find out more about Christian at: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cvielma/?originalSubdomain=es Twitter: cv13lm4 Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UCGjZSsyZY1hce8SsGV1_IHg/videos  Blog: librethinking.com 

My guest today is Irina Iskrenova. Irina is a former psychologist turned front-end engineer. In this episode, Irina unpacks how she switched careers from psychology to development. The career transition was not a trivial decision for her, Irina didn't want to leave her career in psychology, she loved the field and still does. After taking some time off after her master's degree to give herself some time to think about what she wanted, she decided to give programming a try. For Irina, the process of learning to code was not only about gaining technical skills, but it was also a period of deep introspection and reflection. A period when she had to make peace with the fact that she was going to become a psychologist and reconcile not seeing the career change as a failure but instead as a positive direction that her life had taken. Links mentioned in the episode: https://es.linkedin.com/in/irina-iskrenova-a9b3ab1b3 Twitter: @irin_ska Irina's learning radar: http://bit.ly/3vNcfnS

This week we have a short episode. I want to share a story with you about how and why I became a codebar organizer. In this podcast, I want to invite you to think about how you can start creating your own networks, no matter where you are living. I want you to think about how you can surround yourself with like-minded people that are also interested in programming. What are some things that you can do to start creating your own learning resources? How can you form a peer group that can sustain and help motivate you through the difficult process of becoming a programmer? To find out more about codebar visit https://codebar.io/

In this episode, Kimberley shares with us how she became involved with codebar over 6 years ago and talks about the new initiatives she is currently working on to help codebar members become job-ready. She discusses why companies are reluctant to hire Jr. developers and what can be done to help people land that first job. For those interested in remote work, Kimberley shares with us what it was like to take a career break, go freelance, and travel the world as a digital nomad. Read more about Kimberley Cook at: https://twitter.com/KimberleyCook91 https://builtby.kim/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberley-cook-b7571743/?originalSubdomain=uk

Monica is a senior software developer at Thoughtworks. She is originally from Venezuela but has been living in Spain for the past 5 years. She found a love for programming when by chance she joined a coding bootcamp to skill up for a work project. After 6 years of working as a telecommunications engineer, she decided to take the plunge and switch careers into programming. Initially, the transition was challenging, like many, she struggled with imposter syndrome; however, Monica found supportive groups that created a safe space for her to learn, contribute, and flourish. Monica shares her wisdom of why safe spaces matter, and gives some fantastic tips on ways to work smarter while taking care of your mental and physical health. Listen to Monica's outstanding talk on creating safe environments at work: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/english---how-to-create/register Learn more about Monica at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicacrey/?originalSubdomain=es

In this episode, Raquel shares with us how the lack of stability in her teaching job made her do some soul searching which eventually led to a career change. Her move into tech all started off by chance when she randomly attended a codebar workshop she saw advertised on Facebook. Her life completely changed when she signed up for a free 3-month course in data analysis at the Barcelona Activa IT academy. In the episode she tells us how intimidated and out of water, she felt the first week of the course and how she even considered quitting. But she persisted and landed a job immediately after completing the course. She reveals that often times the most challenging part about making a career transition is overcoming the negative beliefs you have about yourself. Raquel shares with us what she did to manage imposter syndrome and how she finally realized that it was not productive to measure your progress by comparing yourself to others. She teaches us that the only person you should try to be better than is who YOU WERE YESTERDAY.  This interview is filled with great advice and wisdom. Raquel's zest for learning, travel, and life will captivate you. Raquel's recommended links: https://www.meetup.com/es/Power-BI-Barcelona/ Follow Raquel at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raquelalvear/

This episode is jam-packed with excellent advice. Karolin shares with us how getting fired from her first two jobs taught her what to look for in a company. She now knows the importance of companies that value diversity, treat people well, and are motivated by creating social impact. For those of you who are about to enter your first job, know that it can be overwhelming because you are expected to perform while you are still learning. Karolin shows us how to not let the fear turn into panic and discusses healthy ways to combat the anxiety so that your mental health is not affected. She shares with us her best advice for learning more efficiently and gives us her best tips for what companies can do to hire more women developers. Resources mentioned in this episode: https://hbr.org/2016/11/why-diverse-teams-are-smarter https://www.idealist.org/en/