Sarah | Jr Full Stack Developer

Tired of Monotony and Hungry for Career Change

After doing procurement, forecasting, and stock-taking for close to 12 years, Sarah knew it was time for a change. Tired of reports and KPIs, she was thrilled when a colleague invited her for a two-day coding bootcamp. What she loved about coding was the puzzle-solving element of it — a far cry from the repetitive tasks she faced on a day-to-day basis. Little did she know that this introduction to the data world would soon fuel her search for bigger opportunities in the tech industry.

Whilst scrolling through her Instagram feed, Sarah chanced upon Generation Singapore’s ad. Apart from the attractive apprenticeship element of the course that provided an opportunity for real life experience as well as a possibility of full-time conversion, she was especially drawn to the social impact that the company had on a global scale. Yet it was the focus on soft skills and the space created in the curriculum for emotional support and check-ins that eventually won Sarah over.

Best Experience of Her Life

Sarah’s excitement of getting accepted was quickly stifled by naysayers who had their reservations about her abilities to succeed in the tech industry. “There were actually some people who told me, ‘I don’t think you’re fit for this, you might not be talented enough or not be smart enough’,” Sarah shared.

Even though I received this discouragement, I decided to just follow my gut and just go for it so I joined the program. And I’m really glad I did, because it’s really one of the best experiences of my life!”

Learning something new in a conducive environment was like a breath of fresh air. Sarah credited the bulk of it to her supportive classmates and patient lecturer who journeyed alongside her as she learned about tech from scratch.

While she enjoyed “challenging her brain”, even with her fundamental research before the bootcamp, Sarah still found herself struggling a bit with the assignments. That was when she decided to step out of her comfort zone and take the initiative to ask questions. And That made all the difference in her progress.

Mentor and Peer Support

Thankfully, Sarah wasn’t alone. Working with her through the same frustrations was another coursemate, Joleen. She was the one who pushed Sarah to search daily for a full-time job doing something they actually wanted which was coding. While it was a demoralizing and nerve-wrecking journey, her patience ultimately paid off. Five months into her apprenticeship and, after multiple interviews, Sarah was offered a full-time position.

Right now Sarah is undergoing an eight-week training course before she begins her official role at the company as an application developer. Learning Java was something many people had waved off as passe but it was actually a very valuable computer language that many companies still used. Because of her little but vital experience through the bootcamp with Java, Sarah was able to get a headstart that has made learning in the course a lot easier.

Like a Golden Ticket

“A big thank you to the Generation team for picking me and for everything you’re doing. Getting the acceptance letter was like receiving the Golden Ticket in a chocolate bar in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was a life changing experience!
For those considering signing up, what sets Generation apart is the soft skills you’ll learn, as well as a solid support system you’ll be getting. If you’re someone, like me, who has no background in tech — but would really want to have a good foundation, I can’t recommend Generation enough!”