What’s your background, and why did you decide to learn to code?
I have a somewhat atypical background. Like most of Le Wagon's alumni!
I studied International Relations, Political Science, and Law, thinking that I would get a job in one of those fields. But then I went to Europe and started working at Booking.com in customer service.
One thing led to another, and I ended up working for them for 8 years, moving from customer service to a Change & Implementation Specialist role. I was the link between operations and product teams, but I didn’t have the opportunity to touch the technical part of the job.
At that point, I thought it was too late to learn to code and move into a more technical career. I didn't want to go back to school for a long program. That’s when I heard about Le Wagon from former colleagues of mine who left Booking to go through the training.
I started following Le Wagon Montreal by attending events, and I immediately had a great impression! I signed up for
Programming for Everybody, a free 3-week program to learn the basics of back-end programming, which confirmed my enthusiasm. I signed up for the bootcamp during the first week of the program!
What did you like best about your experience at Le Wagon?
I really liked the structure and the pace of the program. There were no easy days, but it was never too intense either. I thought it was well-balanced, mainly because each day builds on the foundation of the previous one.
The program focuses on practice, and the kitt platform (Le Wagon's educational platform) is well built. The teachers and staff are top-notch and they create an excellent learning environment.
How did you get a job at Kumojin?
I was recruited just one week after the Career Week!
Following the Demo Day of my batch, I was contacted by a company interested in my profile. One interview and a technical test later, I was hired as a full-stack developer. It’s exactly what I wanted to do because I work on both the back-end and the front-end.
In addition, thanks to my professional experience, I also took on the responsibilities of Scrum Master. I'm in charge of the backlog of tasks and sprints related to the project I've been assigned to.
What is a typical day in the life of a developer?
We work with two-week sprints. For each sprint, we choose our tasks according to our skills and what we’re able to accomplish.
I have a stand-up each morning to determine the tasks for the day. Then I do some pair programming and bug fixing. I also talk with customers to define our priorities.
I use Go for the back-end, TypeScript and Vue.js for the front-end, and SQL for the databases. I use GitHub a lot, a tool I learned to use at Le Wagon.
I learn new things every day and feel challenged. I'm never bored at all!
How do you use the skills you learned at Le Wagon?
The training taught me the logic of programming. Even if I don't use Ruby on Rails currently, I can apply this logic to other languages and tools.
I learned how to look for the information I need, how to read other people's code, and to understand how features are connected to each other. I also learned how to work in a team, an essential skill and one that you can't practice with online courses!
You're also a TA at Le Wagon. Do you enjoy teaching?
Yes, it keeps me in touch with the community and allows me to talk to people who are where I was not so long ago. I can show them that it is possible to become a web developer!
It's also very rewarding to see that students have different ways of answering the same question. I learn a lot from these experiences.
Any advice for those who want to learn to code?
Sign up for the free workshops at Le Wagon! I knew the training was for me because I could attend the workshops and Programming for Everybody.
Tell yourself that it’s possible to change your career no matter your age or background. You probably acquired professional skills before Le Wagon which will help you in web development. What I did at Booking helped me go further at Kumojin
