From Molecular Biology to Deliveroo

My background story is very…varied. I have two Bachelor's degrees - one in Spanish Language and Literature and one in Anthropology, and I also have a minor in Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology. 

Since graduating from university I've worked as a Case Manager/Legal Assistant at a Mass Tort law firm, I've taken a sabbatical to travel and volunteer on organic farms, I've worked as an Office Manager and Executive Assistant to a CEO, and most recently I was an Operations Manager for four years - two years in my company's Paris office then two years working all over the world remotely full-time.

I did Le Wagon because I was tired of always having to ask developers at work if my ideas were feasible, and if so, approximately how much time it would take to build them. 

And any time I encountered an unknown problem or error I had to ask them to teach me how to solve it. Ultimately I did Le Wagon to have more knowledge and independence in my job, and to only ask for help from developers sparingly.

It was a great experience, but a lot of espresso was required! It was a ton of information to absorb, but the further the class progressed the easier it got. 

Plus, my batch was such an interesting group of people from all walks of life. I really couldn't have asked for a better learning experience.

The most challenging part of the bootcamp was feeling information overload, and it didn't do any good to go home and study. However, as time went on it was easier to learn quickly because core concepts we learned earlier in the bootcamp applied. It got to the point during our projects where we could quickly discuss an idea, and I would know how to write the code for that without referencing my notes or looking things up first. I felt really accomplished in those last few weeks, which was a big difference from how I felt at the beginning of the course.

We were all interested in finding a job in London after the bootcamp, so we built a product called JoBot which fetched jobs that met your criteria. Not only that, but JoBot would highlight jobs that were a best-match and rank them most relevant to least.

When starting the bootcamp, I knew where I wanted to go. I was 90% sure I didn't want to be a software engineer, and I was already working as Technical Account Manager at a small software company. However, I felt like there wasn't room for me to grow in that role or company any longer, and I really wanted a new challenge. I

I don't have a technical background from an academic standpoint, so I knew that in order to advance my career I was going to have to make a stronger technical foundation for myself. 

I've started a new job as a Technical Account Manager at Deliveroo! It was pretty intense finding work, especially as I knew I required sponsorship for a job in London. Because of that, I was really proactive about asking both my professional and personal network if they had any openings at their companies (as well as applying to jobs too). A friend I met through a co-ed sports league in London offered to pass along my resume to her manager at Deliveroo, and the rest is history!

I absolutely think everyone should learn to code! It never hurts to learn something new, especially if it's as useful as coding. Even if you don't sit down and code every day, the way you learn to think and break down large problems into smaller more manageable problems is beneficial in every day life.

My new job is going to be mostly working with API integrations, so I'm excited to learn more about that and see where that knowledge takes me. I also want to learn more about building bots, I think they're really under-utilized and could be a fantastic tool for automating certain tasks.

My advice? "Do or do not, there is no try." <(°.°)>