S25:E3 - Self-Taught Coding Stories of a Former Lab Scientist (Vanessa Vun)
Aug 30, 2023
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Former lab scientist turned frontend engineer, Vanessa Vun, shares her journey of self-taught coding after a 10-year career in clinical laboratory science. She discusses motivation, career transitions, job hunting experiences, impacts of layoffs on job security, and the benefits of having a niche as a developer.
Self-taught coding journey after a career shift from laboratory scientist to frontend engineer.
Importance of networking, volunteer work, and leveraging background in laboratory science during job applications.
Deep dives
Transitioning from Laboratory Science to Software
Vanessa Von, a laboratory scientist, shares her journey of shifting to software development. She talks about learning code on her own and entering the tech industry during periods of layoffs. Vanessa discusses the importance of having a learning mindset and staying curious throughout her coding journey. She also highlights the significance of her background in laboratory science, which helped her stand out when applying for her current role as a front-end engineer at SciShow.
Finding Joy in Coding and Pursuing a Career Change
Vanessa recalls her early interest in coding and technology, which started in middle school. Despite initially pursuing a career as a doctor, driven by her family's influence and passion for helping others, Vanessa realized her true passion lies in arts and technology. She shares her process of self-reflection to find what brings her joy and the decision to pursue coding as a way to merge her interests in technology and creativity.
Self-Taught Journey and Overcoming Self-Doubt
Vanessa delves into her self-taught coding journey, which involved utilizing online resources, such as Codecademy and Udemy, to learn various programming concepts. She discusses the challenges of overcoming self-doubt and imposter syndrome after being out of coding for a decade. Vanessa emphasizes the importance of maintaining confidence, belief in oneself, and finding a supportive community of developers going through similar experiences.
Job Hunting and Landing the First Full-Time Role
Vanessa shares insights into her job hunting process, which involved facing numerous rejections and experiencing waves of industry layoffs. Despite the setbacks, she persevered, leveraging her background as a laboratory scientist to stand out during job applications. Vanessa highlights the significance of networking, volunteer work, and internships in building connections and gaining relevant experience. After months of persistence, she finally landed her first full-time role as a frontend engineer at SciShow.
Join us as we sit down with Vanessa Vun, Frontend Engineer at SciShield. Vanessa talks about how she first built a computer when she was in middle school but ended up taking a different path for her studies and found herself back in tech after working as a Clinical Lab Scientist for 10 years. Vanessa shares how she gained her technical experience to put herself in the best position when applying for jobs, along with tips on how others could learn from her journey.
Vanessa Vun started her self-taught coding journey in 2022 after quitting a 10-year career as a clinical laboratory scientist. About 14 months later, she landed a job as a Frontend Engineer at SciShield, which provides a platform of solutions for research laboratories.
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