How I Went from Writing My First Line of Code to a $226K Job Offer in Just 8 Months
Introduction I hope my story inspires current software engineering job seekers - especially from non-traditional backgrounds. You may be thinking “how likely is it that I could pull this off too?” In this article, I'll be specific about my decisions and thought processes. I'll also give links for further reading. First, I must acknowledge that I have benefited from significant privilege: I am a white, straight, cis, male with a bachelor’s degree from a top 20 US university. I had also built up a network after three years of working in the San Francisco Bay Area. Every job seeker's story will be different, but I hope yours benefits from mine. Deciding to take the plunge On July 29th, 2018, I made an irrational decision. I was choosing between a Chief of Staff role for a hyper-growth adtech company and attending a coding “bootcamp.” The Chief of Staff role was lucrative and certain - seemingly an extraordinary ticket to a Silicon Valley fast track. The b