Career change: Becoming a developer – Part II.

Here’s Part II. of my series about diving into a developer life with an entirely different professional background. You can read the first part here.

Junior developer life @ Aliz

At the moment there are five bootcamp graduates in the company: some joined the company more than 2 years ago, some just 2 months ago. This number shows how ALIZ supports new developers and by now we know well what we can expect from a junior. In my opinion, the company values how bootcamp graduates have practical experience with coding, that they worked on projects before and they don’t just have theoretical knowledge about programming. We bootcampers were raised according to those agile methodologies (scrum, kanban, etc.) that are used by most companies. We know what a sprint looks like, and know PM tools like Jira and the processes. And ALIZ values this.

You have a senior next to you, who helps by guiding you along the way, some you can turn to for help. Sure, in the beginning it may happen that you are in a meeting where you don’t understand a word. You will get stuck sometimes. But don’t worry, you are still transitioning and you will pick up on it with time 🙂

Supporting company philosophy

Altogether the company hierarchy is flat and therefore quite friendly. It is easy to approach people; generally everybody is very welcoming. Also there are some processes that will help guide you in your everyday ALIZ life:

• In your first month you will have a “buddy” by your side, who will help you, show you the tricks, and introduce you to the daily routine
• You will get a so-called “people leader,” who will be your professional guide and mentor along the way. They will have a one-on-one session with you every month, where you can get and give feedback. They will try to make sure you feel good in the company, have your opinions considered and your needs met. They’ll also make a plan for you for the next period about what you want to achieve and learn and together you will set goals
• You will have a performance review by your people leader backed by your peers every half year where they will check your progress and achievements in the previous 6 months. This includes how well you work and get along with others.
• You will have a salary review every year that is based on the latest performance reviews.
• If you want to, you can sign up for courses to master new technologies.
• If you fancy a project and the resources allow, you can try yourself out; there is also the great possibility to work on international projects.

Now it has been almost 2 years already that I voted for a career change, and it has been more than 15 months since I am working at ALIZ. I know I am just in the beginning of this new chapter of my life, but I can’t wait to figure out what the future holds for me in this new profession.

Are you considering becoming a developer, too?

Things to consider before making the move

• Think about the long-run: What are your prospects in your current position and what opportunities will open if you make the move?
• Is your current job fulfilling for you? Even though you have a good salary, is this all that matters?
• Are you willing and ready to sacrifice a few months or a year now (in your personal life, financially, etc.), and be a junior again in the hope of future possibilities?
• What is a good fit for your personality?

Benefits of developer life:

- Creativity: You can build and create.

- Versatility: You can try yourself out in lots of different areas and technologies without changing professions. It offers continuous learning.

- Security: Demand for developers is high. You can see all kinds of positions at all kinds of companies. It’s easier to find something that fits your schedule and life circumstances.

- Freedom: You can move abroad more easily as the language barrier is not as big as with other professions.

- Flexibility: In this field the chances of finding remote positions or working from a home office are higher.

- Financial reward: In the long run, salary-wise, there is room to grow.

These platforms and resources can help you learn the essentials for starting a new profession.

Professional learning platforms

freeCodeCamp.org

Treehouse

CodeCademy

Udemy courses: There are numerous software developer and programming courses available on Udemy, and you can always find some discounted courses for $10; others are completely free.

Web development courses that I enrolled:

• Colt Steele – The Web Developer Bootcamp
• Rob Percival – The Complete Web Developer Course 2.0

To get inspired

• Watch bootcamp graduates or self-taught YouTube vloggers:

Aaron in Beta

Joshua Fluke

Chris Sean

Motivational podcasts and books

• Lewis Howes – The School of Greatness

Did you make the switch to a developer life too? How was your experience? Do you want to recommend useful resources?

Share your thoughts with us!