Timothée Bourguignon

Caitlyn Greffly chose software development because it made sense across the board (DevJourney #147)

Tim Bourguignon -

This week, I published Caitlyn Greffly's #DevJourney story on my eponym Podcast: Software developer's Journey. Among many other things, here are my main personal takeaways:

  • Caitlyn's decision for learning to code was a very rational one. After 10 years in the beer industry, she was tired. She wanted a new job with less travel, stable yet flexible hours, and which would be compatible with a family. She didn't go into software development because she loved to code, but because "it made sense across the board."
  • Choosing a first step, i.e. a boot camp, was hard. Caitlyn didn't know any of the terms. She didn't have the feeling of making an informed decision. This is the realm of the "unknown-unknowns" we all face when treading into a new field. Caitlyn is writing a book about her experience. She wishes to encourage other non-coders to take the bull by the horns and follow her lead.
  • When I asked Caitlyn how her state of mind was like coming out of the Bootcamp, her reaction was like "I did it, now I am paid to learn." This is 100% true, and I wish more people would see it this way as well. And then she added  "while there have been some struggles, I try to keep the mindset of the only way out is through.
  • Caitlyn found her jobs by working in the open. Right out of her Bootcamp, she went to a software conference opened up with a lot of people, sharing her experience, and found a job there. Then, she asked to shadow developers and got to visit 6 different companies. She made a crucial contact there, who led her to find her second job later on.

Advice:

  • "Ask for advice!" 😅

Quotes:

  • "It is good to remember the simple things we struggled with early on"
  • "The Bootcamp was very hard and I probably cried every week, but I felt positive coming out of it"
  • "When I got my first offer, I was like 'I did it, now I am paid to learn'"
  • "The only way out is through, I am going to have to learn how to do this"
  • "I've never had a teammate tell me I ask too many questions"
  • "An advice for newcomers? Get used to being frustrated"
  • "I feel I have a lot of opinions, but I don't have the tools to express them yet"

Thanks, Caitlyn for sharing your story with us!

You can find the full episode and the show notes on devjourney.info.

Did you listen to her story?

  • What did you learn?
  • What are your personal takeaways?
  • What did you find particularly interesting?