Using lockdown to career change into tech

Gladys Pascual is a Chemical Engineer, qualified with a PhD and working in a Dublin-based startup. It’s a career she enjoys and finds fulfilling but has seen the flexibility that a career in tech can offer, as well as the opportunities in Dublin and abroad. When Ireland went into lockdown, following the Covid-19 outbreak, she decided now was the perfect time to upskill and further her prospects within the tech industry.

She chose Wild Code School’s five-month part-time remote, front-end website development course that started on 20^th April. Here she tells us how she is finding the course and remote learning, and what transferrable skills there are from chemical engineering to coding.

With a good career and advanced qualifications in chemical engineering, what made you look into coding training?

An area of my job that really interests me is developing effective modelling solutions used in process design and optimisation for our customers in the pharmaceutical industry. If something deviates in their manufacturing processes, they can apply our modelling solutions to identify and rectify the issues quickly and efficiently. I feel that the ways of thinking to create modelling solutions is very similar to the thought process that goes into coding web applications using languages such as JavaScript.

Technology is a big industry here in Dublin, and indeed all across the world and I was keen to see what doors I could open through training that will allow me to consider a shift in career. And with the lockdown I have additional time at home, so decided there was no time like the present.

When did you decide to do the course and why did you choose Wild Code School?

I started considering options in January and February this year but wasn’t sure which course option to go with as I did not want to quit my job and fully commit to a career change. While I have still been working full time, lockdown meant that all my travelling plans were cancelled and I’m not able to do any of the sports I’m used to – I’ve therefore got more time on hands and so it has posed a good opportunity to upskill and do something I’m interested in.

Even before lockdown, I was looking for a remote course as I did not want to battle Dublin traffic in addition to my commute, so when I saw Wild Code School had shifted their course to be fully remote, and it was part-time, I decided to look into it.

On speaking with Wild Code School, I realised it was perfect. As unlike other online courses I looked into, you are given a mentor, so you are not on your own and are fully guided through the process.

How are you finding the course?

Like anything new, at first, I was a little overwhelmed – especially with a demanding full-time job. It is quite advanced, which is a good thing in terms of its long-term use and after just a few weeks I have had the time to focus and absorb what I’m learning. The best thing about the course so far is that the tutor does live coding, which allows us to see and understand the thought process behind the theory – which can be really useful when you’re stuck and thinking how to approach a problem.

The multi-national nature of the course is also really cool; the class is made up of students from all across Europe and it means we get to work with people from different places and with varied backgrounds. This sort of environment is common in the tech world, so it’s useful to get a taste here.

How do you juggle a full-time job with the course?

Working for a startup is always busy and I have lots of responsibilities. As an essential industry, the company I work for has remained open throughout lockdown so I have been going into the office as usual, so it has sometimes been challenging to juggle commitments. But it’s worth the effort, especially as the course is only five months long.

What attracted you to the coding industry?

I believe there are good career opportunities in the coding industry and I love the problem-solving element of coding. Even if frustrating at first, coding allows you to build something you can prove works; a very satisfying process. The flexibility of being able to work remotely, and avoid a busy city’s traffic is another big draw to the industry.

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

I’m hopeful that through this course I gain the core coding language fundamentals that give me a strong enough grounding to pursue Front-End Web Development as a career – and that I can find a flexible job that suits my lifestyle and aspirations.

Wild Code School are restarting the course Gladys did on June 22nd and more information can be found here: https://www.wildcodeschool.com/en-GB/trainings/front-end-developer-part-time