The importance of mentorship and seeking out opportunities for mentorship in order to advance in a coding career.
The advantages of homeschooling, such as having more time for exploration and interests, which can contribute to success in coding.
Deep dives
Inspiration to Learn Programming
In this podcast episode, Madison shares her journey from being a model to becoming a developer. She talks about the skills she honed and the importance of mentorship. Madison was inspired to pursue coding after witnessing the magic of building something from scratch and the accessibility of learning to code. She emphasizes the importance of having an unshakable belief in oneself and the value of continuous learning as a developer.
The Advantage of Homeschooling
Madison discusses her experience being homeschooled and highlights the advantages it provided, such as having more free time for exploration and playing. She emphasizes that homeschooling allowed her to dive deep into her curiosities and interests, which later helped her excel in her coding journey. She expresses gratitude for the childhood she had, free from excessive workload and stress, and the ability to learn at her own pace.
The Decision to Pause College
Madison explains why she decided to take a break from college and explore other opportunities. She felt that she wasn't learning valuable real-world skills and didn't want to accumulate vast amounts of debt without a clear path to a rewarding job. She shares the challenges and skepticism she faced from others and explains how she ultimately trusted her instincts and paused college to figure out her career path.
Creating Opportunity through Internships
After pausing college, Madison shares her strategy of pitching herself as an intern to gain real-world experience and mentorship. She details how she reached out to startups, offering her time and skills in exchange for mentorship and an opportunity to prove herself. This approach allowed her to gain valuable experience and eventually led to a full-time developer role. She emphasizes the importance of being proactive and resourceful in creating opportunities for oneself.
Saron talks to Madison Kanna, Senior Software Engineer, Health and Wellness at Walmart. Saron talks to Madison about finding the inspiration to transition from being a model to becoming a skilled developer. Madison talks about the experiences, challenges, and moments that sparked her interest in development. Listeners will gain insights into the tools and resources she utilized to hone her coding skills when first embarking on this new path. Madison also highlights the importance of seeking mentorship and how mentorship can open doors to exciting opportunities.
Madison Kanna started her coding journey back in 2017 after deciding to shift away from her modeling career. In just one year, she made the transition fully and she is now a Senior Software Engineer in Health and Wellness at Walmart! Outside of her role, you can find her blogging about what she's learning, or leading the CodeBookClub, a virtual community she started back in 2020.
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