"I kept trying to come up with tech solutions for administrative tasks in the healthcare world. I wanted to leverage technology to solve real-world problems but writing code was the bottleneck to the problems I was trying to solve. "
Can you introduce yourself to our community?
Hello! I’m Sharon and I’m 24 years old. I am originally from Malaysia and I have been living in Melbourne for the last 8 years. At the end of September 2020, I graduated from Batch #452 from Le Wagon in Melbourne. I am currently a Junior Developer at HotDoc!
What did you do before joining Le Wagon Australia?
Before Le Wagon, I was a speech pathologist working amongst individuals of all ages with various disabilities. My first true encounter with the tech world was back in 2017 when cryptocurrency was booming. I began immersing myself in the various technologies and was fascinated with it all. But during my exploration down the crypto rabbit hole, I became frustrated with the user experience of monitoring my crypto portfolios, which led me to learn UX through online courses to try to build a better solution. On the side, I started volunteering to help my friends and family with UI/UX as well.
Whilst I was still in the health sector, I was constantly frustrated with the inefficiencies in healthcare. I kept trying to come up with tech solutions for administrative tasks in the healthcare world. I realised that I had a greater passion for helping others by leveraging technology to solve real-world problems, but writing code was the bottleneck to the problems I was trying to solve. So I took on the challenge to make the decision to change careers and pursue a career in tech.
How would you describe your experience in Le Wagon Melbourne?
My experience at Le Wagon was amazing! I believe that the staff did an amazing job in providing a seamless remote learning experience. They have dedicated a lot of time and effort in making sure that everyone had a great experience and was able to learn efficiently even amidst a pandemic.
The structure of the Bootcamp was great as lots of time was spent learning the foundations. Le Wagon teachers were dedicated to making sure that our programming fundamentals were solid. This made sure that we succeeded in the latter weeks and into our future tech careers! The days are well-structured to help us get into the rhythm of solving problems, practicing, and grasping new concepts that would help us write working programs and applications. I always looked forward to the next day of the Bootcamp and I honestly did not want it to end!
The final two weeks were spent working on a team project which I thoroughly enjoyed as it was amazing to see all that we’ve learnt come together! It was great to see how we could build live applications that anyone could have access to! I did not only learn how to code but I’ve grown a lot as a person and built on interpersonal, communication, and project management skills which are extremely important for real-world jobs.
Last but not least, my batch mates and the community that I now have are for life, which I am so grateful for. Going into a new world of tech can be daunting and nerve-wracking but knowing that I have my batch mates who have walked through this from the beginning is very comforting. I will never forget this life-changing experience that we shared during these “unprecedented” times in the year 2020.
So, what's up since you graduated?
Since I’ve graduated, I networked with various people in the tech industry, joined the Startmate Fellowship, did a front-end development and product design internship with a repurposing fashion startup called AirRobe, and landed a full-time junior developer role at HotDoc, the patient engagement platform. At the moment, I am working on various issues and projects on the backend using the Rails framework. I am enjoying every moment as I learn new things and getting familiar with how things work whilst getting to know the amazing people that I work with.
What would you say to someone thinking about joining the course?
I would recommend researching and finding out what is on offer and what isn’t. Find out what your goals are, what technologies you’d like to learn and if you have any restrictions whether financial or time, and then find something that suits you. Feel free to reach out to the friendly staff or our welcoming alumni community if you have any burning questions!
"I always looked forward to the next day of the Bootcamp and I honestly did not want it to end!"
