Follow Lauren’s transition from corporate roles to mastering the digital world with TechSwitch’s 12-week bootcamp.
The tech industry has a strong appeal, especially for those who have had their eyes set on it since their first interaction with a sophisticated gadget or their initial dive into the intricacies of coding.
But for others? It’s an epiphany. It’s an unexpected revelation that lights up a path they didn’t expect to walk.
And that brings us to Lauren.
Read on as we take a deep dive into Lauren’s inspiring journey into the world of tech that spans industries and continents.
Post-university life comes with its fair share of crossroads, and Lauren certainly reached one when she moved to the UK, a far cry from the sun-bathed beaches of her native Australia.
Lauren built quite the repertoire across her initial working career – from managing products in a media company to navigating the legal tech arena as a project manager, her CV was certainly impressive.
But after a five-year hiatus to focus on raising her two children, Lauren was looking to get back into the working world, but was hesitant about returning to life as a project manager.
“I was trying to find a better working balance, something that fits around my life but is still interesting and engaging. Because obviously after having children, your life changes completely.”
Lauren found her gaze turning to the tech realm, but this time in the world of ones and zeros. That’s when she found TechSwitch.
“I found TechSwitch on the Women Returners website. I'd done a little bit of coding in university before and I enjoyed it, but I didn't think it was something I could do. I thought you had to have a computer science degree, or something more related to tech.”
But after reading more about the course, Lauren realised that the course was accessible to anyone interested in coding and technology. So after putting in her application, she was swiftly accepted onto the program.
The start of the course was quite the whirlwind for Lauren;
“It was such a roller coaster of emotions. I was so excited to start, but it was also terrifying because you're completely out of your comfort zone – and you're completely challenging yourself in a way that I hadn't in such a long time. But it was honestly fantastic.” Though she was somewhat familiar with coding, Lauren found that the course tested even those with a strong foundation in tech.
“There are times where you're thinking, I'm totally getting this, I'm nailing it. And then ten minutes later you're like, what am I doing here? Have I just made the biggest mistake?” But with the support system TechSwitch offers its people, Lauren knew that help was never too far away.
“There was always someone you could talk to and talk through all your fears. And every time they told me what I was feeling was completely normal. This is exactly what you should be feeling. Everyone's feeling it. And the thing is, everyone on the course was feeling it. We’d all chat about it and you quickly realise that you're not alone.” Throughout the twelve week bootcamp, Lauren saw her confidence soar as she grappled with practical, real-world tech problems, mirroring the daily life of a developer. Bugs, challenges, and breakthroughs became her day-to-day, with the course constantly guiding her in the right direction.
“Seeing your work come together, making things from scratch, and then having a demo of something that you actually made. It's like, oh, actually, I can do this.”
Fresh out of TechSwitch, Lauren’s skills and talent didn’t go unnoticed. Opportunities came knocking immediately – validating her decision to return to the tech industry and switch to a technical role.
“I finished TechSwitch on the Friday and I started working on the Monday. It was a massive transition there, but it wasn't as scary because of the way TechSwitch is run. In the course, it’s treated as if you are on actual projects, from start to finish. So there wasn’t much difference.”
Lauren now has her eyes firmly set on advancing and improving in her career, with her goal to become both a senior developer and a fully-fledged, full-stack developer. And this switch, along with her success, is thanks to her hard work, determination, and of course, the TechSwitch course.
“It sounds really cliche, but it was completely life-changing to be able to do the TechSwitch course. Especially after having five years off, having children, and starting in a new industry. It gives you such a great level of self-esteem. You kind of lose your confidence after being out of work for so long. But doing the course gave me all that confidence back, and showed me that I could actually achieve a really awesome goal.”