After months of endless job applications, networking, and studying, I accepted an offer in January to work full-time as a developer. It wasn’t smooth sailing, and I won’t lie — the road was very bumpy.

So to help others out, I want to share my story. I know many people are out there looking for work and trying to transition into tech, just like I did.

When I was job searching, I found comfort in hearing how others made their way into tech, and I enjoyed their stories. So, I’m writing in the hope of helping others who are going through what I went through. If you’re one of those people, hopefully these tips will work for you as well and help you on your journey.

Original Article: エンジニアへ転身するための完全ガイド: 在宅フリーランスと育児から開発者の道へ. Written and Translated by: Saki Basken.

My Non-Traditional Background

I think it’ll help to share a bit about my background and how I came to work as a developer. I don’t have a conventional background in computer science. I studied Anthropology and Sociology in college, subjects I truly loved, but they didn’t offer the best job prospects.

After graduating, I had different office jobs, including working as an Executive Assistant and a Warehouse/Import Coordinator. Since I grew up in Japan and am bilingual, I also started translating as part of those jobs while working at Japanese companies in Chicago.

After my husband and I had our first child in 2013, my company only offered 6 weeks of maternity leave, which was standard in Illinois at the time. I’m not sure if things have improved over the last 10 years, though I truly hope they have. I remember I was shocked that only 6 weeks were offered for maternity leave.

So, I decided to leave my full-time position, which wasn’t particularly high-paying anyway, to focus on raising kids. Freelancing as a translator gave me the flexibility I needed during that time. As you can see, both my educational and professional backgrounds up to this point were far removed from programming and had nothing to do with computers.

I did study Sustainable Development to earn a postgraduate certificate (which just means I was a few modules short of a master’s degree) and took environmental science and other science-related classes because climate issues are where my passion lies. But that didn’t really give me a chance to explore programming, and I always thought I wasn’t a “computer person.”

Raising Kids and Freelancing: The Unseen Career Gap

While I was happily raising two amazing girls and freelancing as a translator, once they were both in elementary school, I felt I was ready to take on more work. I also missed working in the office as well. But I didn’t want to work full time as a translator. I did that to meet family demands, but it wasn’t my true interest.

I’ve been passionate about sustainability and climate change since college, so I was eager to work in that field. I spent a few months searching for opportunities, but I couldn’t get past the phone interviews.

During those quick calls, I was often asked about my experience from over 10 years ago, when I worked in an office. It was brutal, especially during the first interview — I didn’t expect them to focus so much on my past experience. I thought they’d be more interested in what I do now and what I can offer today.

It also made me feel sad, as if I was being told that everything I’d done over the last 10 years didn’t really matter. Raising kids, freelancing, and studying are all incredibly hard work: you have to manage time, work, stress, customers, and billing all on your own.

Yet society and companies often overlook the immense contributions that stay-at-home parents and freelancers make. It’s disheartening, especially when these roles require such dedication and resilience, but are undervalued far more than they should be.

Besides, who can answer in detail about what they did 10+ years ago for those crazy behavioral questions? Seriously.

The Turning Point: How I Discovered My Interest in Coding

During that time, I also started to realize that I didn’t have the skillsets those climate tech companies were looking for (since they typically aren’t in need of translators), and my experience from over 10 years ago just wasn’t enough.

At that time, I noticed many climate tech companies were looking for software engineers, and that’s when my husband suggested I learn coding. Plus, we live in Seattle, where it seems like half the people we meet are software engineers. When in Rome…right?

Starting Small: Gaining Initial Experience as a Technical Translator

My husband has a startup, and we reached out to the person who did the software development for the company — who also happens to be one of the cofounders and our friend — to get her insights on where I should start. She said the best way to learn how to code is by actually doing the work and not just studying. She also offered to help me learn by contributing to the startup.

With my background in translation and newfound interest in tech, I started doing technical localization for their mobile app. I didn’t have any background in computer science, but that’s how I landed my first position as a Software Developer. Although I wasn’t getting paid (since it was more of a family business), it was an incredible opportunity to learn not just coding but also Git flow and to get hands-on experience with software development.

So I’d suggest trying to get this sort of experience if you can. It can be anything. See if your family or friends’ business needs an update on their website or complete makeover. Anything can be experience if you put work into it and build something that you can learn from and show that you have.

After I started at the startup, I felt the urge to learn more, so I signed up for Codecademy during their Thanksgiving sale in 2022 and completed pretty much every lesson I could find. (They run sales around almost every holiday — I got 50% off — so never pay full price! Better yet – and I didn’t know it at the time – freeCodeCamp.org offers free programming tutorials and video courses, as well as an entire curriculum at no cost!)

I really enjoyed working with the startup cofounder, doing technical translation, and learning along the way. She was, and still is, an amazing mentor. At that point, I knew I wanted to pursue this as my career, and I was eager to learn more.

I tend to dive deep when I’m interested in something. Before coding, it was Korean dramas, and before that, the stock market. I usually binge-watch or binge-study for 3–4 months until I lose interest.

But with coding, I haven’t lost interest because programming offers an endless supply of challenges for better or worse, along with learning opportunities. This makes it the perfect field for someone like me who loves to learn.

One day, my husband was visiting our old neighbor’s house, and the neighbor casually mentioned that his wife had completed a coding bootcamp at Flatiron and she loved it. She, like me, was a career changer and had been working successfully as a developer ever since she graduated from the program. My husband shared the story with me, and I remember applying for the upcoming cohort the very next day.

Making the Big Move: Joining a Coding Bootcamp

Coding bootcamp was awesome. It was super intense, as the name suggests, but it definitely accelerated my learning by a lot. I mean, you probably wouldn’t spend 60+ hours a week learning on your own, and that’s likely why it worked so well.

When we started, the cohort had over 30 students, but after the first week, it dropped to 25. By the next week, it was down to 20, and when we graduated, only 12 of us remained. We trauma-bonded through the hard, intensive, and sometimes overwhelming program, and the classmates who made it through with me will always hold a special place in my heart.

It was a 15-week program with 5 phases, each lasting 3 weeks. We had coding challenges and group projects in every phase, and it all culminated in a solo capstone project at the end.

Post-Bootcamp Support: Career Coaching and Job Search Strategies

At Flatiron, they offer 180 days of career services after graduation, which was amazing. The career-related workshops actually started while we were still in the program, giving us a head start.

After graduation, we were each assigned a career coach. I met with mine weekly for the first month, then every two weeks after that. They helped by reviewing my LinkedIn profile, résumé, conducting mock interviews if needed, and offering suggestions on how to refine my job search efforts.

Flatiron also had a subgroup called the 'Global Community,' and I actively participated in their virtual meetings both during and after the program.

Since the group was small, it created a space where I could learn about career-related matters alongside people from other countries and those who grew up in multicultural environments. We shared our concerns and challenges, and we heard stories from others who had already transitioned into tech. It was an incredibly valuable learning experience.

When I started the program in January 2023, they estimated that it would take most graduates 3–6 months to land a job. But due to the mass layoffs happening at the time by big tech, by the time I graduated, the average was closer to 6 months.

It ended up taking me 7 months to secure a job, and I attended countless networking events during that time. But having my career coaches was crucial — they provided much-needed guidance and support, and it was invaluable to have someone I could ask questions and get advice from.

Breakthrough: How I Landed My First Full Time Job

After graduating, I jumped into the job hunt right away. I volunteered, contributed to open-source projects, attended networking events, kept learning, and passed the AWS Cloud Practitioner exam—I stayed very busy. I’ve also been active on LinkedIn, posting every milestone and anything relevant to programming and sustainability.

At Flatiron’s career workshops, I learned that 80% of jobs are never posted publicly and most people find roles through connections or past collaborations. I was skeptical, but that’s exactly how I landed my first job.

A mentor I worked with at the startup noticed the full-stack web application I had built with React after I shared it on LinkedIn. When her other company that she owns needed a React developer, she reached out to me with a job offer.

Throughout this experience, I picked up some insights that made a huge difference, and I’d like to share a few tips that helped me along the way.

Networking: Overcoming Awkwardness and Building Connections

Is networking necessary? I say yes. While you might not land a job directly from networking events, they’re great for preparing you for future interviews and building your confidence.

During my coding program, I tried hard to attend local events I found on meetup.com and other social platforms, but I rarely had the time. It was always either the night before a coding challenge or I needed to focus on a project. But I still made sure to book events for after graduation because I wanted to start job hunting right away.

Since I never needed to network before, I mistakenly thought these events were like “hiring events.” The first networking event I attended was incredibly awkward — I didn’t know anyone, and I felt like I had to “speed date” everyone to find a job. I even had to take a break in the bathroom just to regroup.

Most organizations have monthly meetups or events, and I ended up attending about 10 different groups every month. Since I was interested in climate tech, I went to climate tech events, as well as more general developer meetups.

Lessons from Networking: Turning Conversations into Opportunities

First and foremost, networking events are not hiring events! You don’t need to meet 30+ people and collect dozens of new LinkedIn connections. It’s far more meaningful to meet a few people you genuinely connect with and you can actually remember them.

Some people are naturals at these type of events, hopping in and out of conversations like social butterflies. But for me, it was more comfortable to focus on deeper conversations with fewer people. Everyone is different, so find what works best for you.

As you attend more events hosted by the same organizations or groups, you’ll start seeing familiar faces, which makes things easier each time. These events may not directly lead to jobs, but I found them invaluable for practicing interview skills.

You meet many new people who often ask questions like, “What do you do?” or “What brought you here today?” — the same kind of questions that interviewers ask. It reminded me that interviewers, like people at networking events, just want to get to know you.

By talking to others with similar interests, you can also discover resources you might not have come across otherwise. For example:

I learned that the AWS Skills Center in Seattle offers free in-person and online classes, accessible from anywhere in the world.
From senior developers in climate tech, I found out that climate tech companies tend to be small or medium-sized and they often prefer to hire experienced professionals because they lack the resources to train new hires. (Based on this, I changed my strategies from focusing on climate tech to finding more general dev work.)
I also discovered programs specifically designed for bootcamp grads or those without conventional degrees, offered by large tech companies like the Microsoft Leap program. If you have a career coach, you can strategize with them on how to apply for these programs as well.

The list goes on!

You don’t have to attend formal meetups to network. You can talk to other parents when you pick up your kids from school or share your journey with friends and neighbors when they ask, “How are you doing?” or “What’s new?” Let people know you’re learning to code or looking for work.

People love to help if they can. That’s why they write blogs, contribute to open-source projects, and share resources. It might not happen immediately, but if an opportunity comes up or they hear about something, they’ll let you know.

For example, a friend approached me about a backend engineer position after I had already accepted an offer. I had to turn it down, but it shows how putting yourself out there can create opportunities.

Navigating Job Applications and Reaching Out to Companies

Getting interviews in last year’s market was tough, especially for someone like me with 10+ years of experience in one field, but who’s starting over in a completely new one.

In tech, even entry-level jobs often require 2, or sometimes even 4 years of experience. And even if you meet those requirements, they still want to interview you five times just to be sure — clearly, the tech industry has trust issues.

A key strategy when applying for jobs was always, always messaging the hiring manager or someone at the company after submitting an application. Companies want to hire people who show they care. Sending a thoughtful message that demonstrates your interest, why you’re a good fit, and how your skills align with the role can really catch their attention.

If you know someone who works at the company, don’t apply through the usual channels — reach out to them first and see if they can give you a referral.

For about 90% of the interviews I landed over the course of 7 months, they came from those follow-up messages. Plus, you get a glimpse of the company culture when you reach out. Some responses felt like auto-reply or they just ignore you, while others are warm and helpful.

In this job market, it’s hard to be picky but I wanted to make sure I found a company with great culture and values. Reaching out gave me a sense of what it might be like to work there.

Ace the Interview: Turning Conversations into Job Offers

Once you get the chance to interview — which is the hardest part — you’ll do just fine if you’ve been networking. For example, I applied for 100+ positions at Amazon alone, including around 25 referrals, and only got one opportunity to interview for a single position. In the end, although I had to decline due to relocation issues, I received the offer for that position so my success rate after landing the first interview was 100% 😎.

In my experience, interviews are more about how you think than what you can actually do. There were multiple rounds for different positions, but the questions were always centered around your thought process and how you handled situations in the past.

After months of attending networking events, I felt comfortable having conversations with interviewers, and it all felt much more natural. I remember interviews before Flatiron — they felt more like interrogations than conversations.

One of the things I learned in career workshops was to remember that they’re interviewing to find out who they want to work with, so make it a conversation. If it’s a Monday, ask them how their weekend was. If they ask, “How are you?” don’t just say, “I’m good, thanks, how about you?” Share something personal — talk about your weekend, your pets, your kids, or even how you’ve been sick. Build a human connection, and you’ll leave a lasting impression.

Learning from the Best: How Mentorship Accelerated My Tech Journey

I mentioned having one mentor earlier, but I actually had a couple. Mentors are incredible, and I’m not sure if it’s a tech culture thing or a West Coast thing, but there are so many people willing to help out there.

One of my mentors, who I mentioned earlier, was the person who got me started on my tech journey. She owns a software company and is the one who ultimately helped me land my current job.

Another mentor was someone I met while volunteering for PNW Climate Week last year after graduating from the coding bootcamp program. After the event ended, we started meeting online every other week until I began working.

She’d go over my job hunt with me and offer advice. I remember one time I had a take-home assignment, which was the 3rd round of interview, for a company I really wanted to work for, but unfortunately, I was turned down. I was upset and couldn’t figure out why. When I showed her my assignment, she gave me the clarity I needed and helped me understand where I went wrong. I learned a lot from those conversations.

My third mentor actually reached out to me on LinkedIn. I was active on the platform, and he found me, offering to mentor me because he enjoys mentoring. I accepted, and whenever I had questions like “What should I learn next?” or needed guidance, he provided valuable insights that I applied to my job search.

The tech industry is full of people who are willing to help, so don’t be afraid to ask for help and support and be open to offers. I am forever grateful to my amazing, wonderful mentors, and I hope to one day do the same for others. ♥️

The Power of Open Source: Building Experience and Credibility

Last but not least, if you haven’t started yet and don’t have much experience, begin contributing to open-source projects! In one of the career workshops during my bootcamp, we were told that open source is especially valuable for those without industry experience. By the time you graduate, you could already have 2+ months of hands-on experience.

I started contributing to open-source projects in March last year while still at Flatiron, and one of the first was for freeCodeCamp.org. What was amazing about freeCodeCamp.org was that once I started working on articles, they created a profile page for me, which I could immediately add to my résumé and portfolio.

Contributing to the React project also helped me keep my GitHub status “green.” After graduating from bootcamp, I met the founder of the Climate Tech Handbook at a climate tech event, and I started working on that project as if it were a part-time job. I got to collaborate with web designers, work with Figma designs, and engage with different teams, which was a fantastic learning opportunity and for a great cause.

Not only can you add these experiences to your portfolio and résumé, but you can also use them in interviews. For most of the behavioral questions I encountered, I drew from these experiences to provide relevant examples.

Even though I was fairly new to the tech industry, these projects gave me a lot to talk about that was highly relevant. And, of course, having that extra experience on my resume helped me stand out among others with the same career level in tech.

I am forever grateful to freeCodeCamp, the Climate Tech Handbook, and other open-source communities for giving me incredible opportunities to enrich my portfolio far more than I could have done on my own.

Reflecting on My Tech Journey: Embracing the Unconventional Path to Success in Tech

Key Takeaways

Being proactive definitely helped me build a stronger resume and portfolio. Volunteering and contributing to open-source projects are great ways to stand out among candidates with similar experience levels and they provide valuable talking points during interviews.
Meet as many people as you can to discover resources, gain advice, and improve your interview skills. This can also ease imposter syndrome, especially when you’re new to the industry.
Keep learning but at a sustainable pace. One mentor said that learning has its seasons. If you are someone like me who feels guilty when you are not learning constantly, it’s ok to take breaks. Processing what you learn takes time, and rest is an essential part of the process.
It may not feel that way but transitioning to tech from another field is an advantage. Your unique background offers insights that others might not have, and you can tap into niche markets to get started just as I did with technical localization, leveraging my translation skills.

I’ve now been with the same company for nine months, and time has truly flown by. Every day, I learn something new and genuinely enjoy what I do. I’m so glad that I challenged myself by entering this new field a couple of years ago.

While not finding a job right away was tough, and at times soul-crushing (as some of you may know), I am grateful for how things turned out. It all led me to where I am today and I’m excited to see what the future holds for me.

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