27 Sep Break into tech: From clinical psychologist to full stack developer

In this episode, we hear from Jennifer about making a big shift from a clinical psychologist to a full stack developer. After a traumatic event forces Jennifer to reevaluate everything, Jennifer decides to make a career change. In this episode, she takes us through her process, shares insights on the importance of self reflection and how she stayed true to herself along the way.

We also dive into how to research a quality university certificate program or coding bootcamp to meet your needs. She shares insights into how she navigated the intensity of her 6 month program. She’ll also tell you exactly what it means to be a full stack developer, one of the most in-demand roles in the marketplace. Listen to this if you’re curious about coding bootcamps or what it’s like to get into the tech industry. Plus we celebrate finding your supportive community and give a big shout out to how much we love Lesbians who Tech.

Quotes that’ll make you want to listen to this episode:

“It took several years, but sometimes for things to fall into place and for us to meet our goals, it takes a long time.And that’s okay because it’s the ride that you, that you, you know, you go up and down with that that’s important to learn all of those lessons along the way.”

On making it through intensive learning bootcamps:

“You just keep yourself very present. Meaning you have to remind yourself that this is an accelerated program and that it is okay. It is considered normal to feel like, wait, I just, I’m learning something right now and I’m getting my feet wet, but I’m switching gears to something else.”

A clever motto to motivate you:

“I remember reading once a saying, I don’t know who it’s from, but it said “Think it into existence. Speak it into existence. Write into existence. And Work it into existence.” I never forgot about that and that has really gotten me through.”

Advice for career changers:

“It can be a challenge and that’s a good thing. I think anything that challenges you means that the outcome is going to be so much worth it in the end. Ride the wave because that’s when you start to really pick up lessons along the way. it really shapes who you are. Set your goal, never ever give up, no matter what position you’re in. Make sure that you have a really solid foundation with people around you. The support system, those are the individuals and community resources that are going to be there for you.”