From English teacher to dev in 9 month: A self-taught developer journey
Mar 8, 2023
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Former English teacher and journalist, Nadia Zhuk, shares her journey of transitioning to a self-taught software engineer. They discuss the challenges of learning programming, engineering practices at Intercom, metrics for evaluating performance, living in London, and advice for starting a coding career.
Taking risks and seizing opportunities, even in the face of uncertainty, can lead to successful career transitions.
Continuous learning, collaboration, and working in a real production environment are crucial for professional development as a self-taught developer.
Deep dives
Nadia Zuk's Journey into Tech
Nadia Zuk shares her experience of transitioning from being a journalist and English teacher to becoming a self-taught developer. After facing disappointment and wanting a fresh start, she decided to learn programming as a means to relocate to a new country. She initially had doubts about her ability to become a programmer, but with encouragement from her husband and seeing the success stories of others online, she began her programming journey. Starting with tutorials in Ruby and then progressing to HTML, CSS, and other web development skills, she dedicated herself to learning and building a portfolio. After nine months of self-study and persistence, she landed her first job as a full-stack developer in Poland, which marked the beginning of her successful career in tech.
Navigating the Job Search and Relocation
Nadia shares her experience of applying for her first job as a developer. Initially, she faced rejections from top companies in Poland due to being a foreigner without experience. However, she adapted her strategy and started applying to smaller web development studios in smaller towns. This led to more interest and opportunities, eventually securing a one-month internship in Warsaw. She took the leap and moved to a new country without any guarantees. After successfully completing the internship, she was offered a full-time position as a full-stack developer. Nadia highlights the importance of taking risks and seizing opportunities, even when faced with uncertainty.
Learning and Growing as a Self-Taught Developer
As a self-taught developer, Nadia discusses her learning journey. She describes her early struggles with JavaScript before finding success with Ruby on Rails. She emphasizes the value of learning by doing and continuously improving through self-study, online tutorials, and reading books. Nadia also highlights the importance of code reviews and collaboration with experienced developers in advancing her skills. She credits working in a real production environment, surrounded by talented developers, as a significant catalyst for her growth and learning as a professional programmer.
Working at Intercom and Engineering Practices
Nadia shares insights into her experience working as a product engineer at Intercom, a company that values fast and safe shipping of code. She discusses the emphasis on continuous learning, shipping value quickly, and iterating based on customer feedback. Nadia explains the engineering practices at Intercom, such as feature flagging for controlled releases, regular code reviews, and personal responsibility for monitoring code in production. She also highlights the importance of collaboration with product designers, product managers, and other team members to ensure successful feature delivery. Nadia appreciates the opportunities for growth, exposure to diverse cultures, and the supportive environment that Intercom provides.
About Nadia Zhuk Nadia is a software engineer at Intercom, and was previously working at Zendesk. Before, Nadia was an English teacher, and journalist, until she decided to learn programming and enter the tech world.
