Dusting off an old programming hobby pays off

From Custodian at Disney World to Junior Applications Developer, Stratacache

"You're the one that makes the magic."

This is Loren Hicks, a Nucamp Bootcamp graduate and now a Junior Applications Developer at Stratacache.

Loren enjoyed the people she worked with at Disney World, but the work wasn't rewarding or challenging and the pay was not great.

Loren likes understanding systems and figuring out problems, and while playing robust tabletop game systems like D&D helped scratch the itch, it wasn't satisfying enough.

Why coding?

The onset of the pandemic really illuminated to Loren what people were capable of doing remotely.

Having done some programming as a hobby, the way that life was changing made her think more seriously about doing as a career.

"So much changed so quickly. It's like automation got its deadline moved forward."

Nucamp's price point was a big factor for Loren because she didn't want to incur debt or have to worry about an Income Share Agreement (ISA).

She took the Web Development Fundamentals and after completing it, immediately went into the Full Stack bootcamp.

What it was like taking a Nucamp Bootcamp

Because of her full time job, Loren had to be disciplined to do the majority of the work on Mondays and Tuesdays, sometimes spending over 14 hours a day on those two days.

While most students are able to spread out the work to 3-5 hours an evening, Loren was thankful for the flexibility that Nucamp offered that allowed her to stack the work over two days.

The bootcamp was challenging, but Loren valued the challenge and the weekend workshops.

"Expect perfection and you'll achieve it."

Describe your job search process.

Loren started applying to numerous jobs while she was still in the bootcamp.

Even though many of them were her dream jobs, she felt it was valuable to get feedback from the companies, even if the positions were beyond her experience.

It was a junior position at Stratacache that she applied for during the bootcamp that soon paid off and she wondered if applying earlier may have sped up the process.

While away from home, onsite at her new company and going through onboarding, she was able to take a break and join her Nucamp graduation ceremony on Zoom to share the great news.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out?

"Make sure you have the time to commit and avoid the cycle of blame when the work gets challenging. You're the one that makes the magic."