S26:E8 - Being Open to the Unexpected (Katherine Evans)
Dec 20, 2023
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Katherine Evans, lead engineering instructor and senior software engineer, shares her journey from bootcamp student to teacher, offering tips for recent grads. They discuss the significance of a love for learning, finding job postings that align perfectly with skills, and networking opportunities in the tech industry. Other topics include transitioning from nonprofits to tech, challenges in finding first tech jobs, perspectives in tech, consistency in coding, and taking breaks.
Continuous learning and willingness to learn new technologies are crucial in the tech industry.
Finding joy in teaching and guiding students can be a fulfilling aspect of a career in tech.
Deep dives
The Importance of Being Open to the Unexpected
Katherine Evans shares her experience of being hired as a Lead Engineering Instructor at Actualized Coding Bootcamp, despite not having any experience in PHP. She emphasizes the importance of being willing to learn and having a passion for continuous learning in the tech industry.
From Non-Tech Background to Tech Career
Katherine discusses her journey from growing up without much exposure to technology to working in the nonprofit sector and eventually transitioning to a career in tech. She shares how her love for writing and her early experiences with coding in nonprofit work sparked her interest in pursuing a tech career.
Transitioning from Individual Contributor to Teacher
Katherine talks about her shift from being an individual contributor in tech to becoming a teacher at Actualized Coding Bootcamp and later at Podium Education. She highlights the joy she finds in teaching and guiding students on their coding journeys while also acknowledging the need to continue coding herself to stay engaged and continue learning.
Navigating the Coding Journey and Job Market
Katherine offers advice for those navigating the job market and learning to code, emphasizing the importance of perseverance, consistency, and networking. She also encourages learners to focus on specific areas of interest rather than trying to learn everything at once, and highlights the need to ask for help and seek out a supportive community along the way.
Meet Katherine Evans, Lead Engineering Instructor at Actualize Coding Bootcamp and Senior Software Engineer at Neon One. Katherine walks us through her journey from bootcamp student to bootcamp teacher, sharing tips for recent grads looking to land their first role. Saron and Katherine also talk about whether Katherine thinks it’s still worth learning to code given the economic climate and what she would tell others who might be interested in learning to code.
Katherine Evans is a software engineer, tech educator, and (amateur) potter living in Chicago. With a background in nonprofit work, she’s focused on how technology can tackle real-world problems, improve peoples’ lives, and do good in the world. A perennial student, she finds joy in learning new things and sharing these discoveries with others.
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