Primary School Teacher to a Front-End Developer in 4 Months

There are thousands of people around the world looking for ways to land their first job in tech after realizing the endless career opportunities. Actually, starting the first job in tech is one of the most popular topics on Reddit with around 3 million people engaging in the conversation. At Patika.dev, we know getting your first job is the most challenging step, especially if you’re trying to switch careers. So we try to share inspiring stories of our alumni to show that career change is possible, given a clear pathway, a supportive community and opportunities provided by companies. We hope these stories help people out there questioning themselves and looking for hope to succeed.

Here is an interview with our dearest Dila Kasap, who changed her career from Primary School Teacher toa Front-End Developer in 4 months:

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How did your interest in software development begin?

I love learning and sharing my knowledge with others. A monotonous life doesn’t make me happy and this was the reason behind my career change. I changed my career so that I could have a life that would make me feel more alive.

My brother is a computer engineer, so I was exposed to the software development field at an early age. Since we were little, my brother spent all his time on the computer and shared a lot of geeky information with me.

I became a Primary School Teacher because I enjoy teaching others. But when I started working, I realized how monotonous my life was becoming compared to my brother’s. I started working at an international school and I was happy with my life because I was learning a lot. But over time, everything started to become repetitive and I wasn’t improving myself. On the other hand, my brother was talking about new, interesting things he was trying every day. Many topics contained details that I could not have imagined, and sometimes did not understand.  Over time, I realized that I was very interested in this field.

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How did you take the first step into being a developer?

I started to look for new opportunities. When I reflected on my interests and what made me happy, a career in software development became more and more appealing to me. In June 2021, I quit my teaching job. No one expected this decision, but my family was supportive. In fact, my brother was happy that I had freely made my own way. Immediately after, I started a very intensive self-learning process. 

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How did you learn about Patika.dev?

I discovered Patika when I was looking for the best resources. Career pathways on Patika were more clear and up-to-date. Unlike my previous experiences, there were assignments and projects. These practices helped me understand theory better and get used to writing code.

Also, Patika’s Discord community was motivating: Learning with people who have the same purpose as me accelerated my learning process. When I met the community, I felt that I was on the right path. It was easier to move forward with them. With the support of the community, I finished the front-end development path in Patika. My next goal was to attend a Patika bootcamp. 

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How was the bootcamp process?

Before applying to bootcamps, I got prepared by reading suggestions on Discord and watching interview videos on Patika.dev YouTube channel. When I felt ready, I applied to all open bootcamps. Thanks to my progress on Patika.dev courses and preparation for interviews, I was admitted to Çiçeksepeti Frontend Bootcamp. I learned a lot more than I could do on my own in 7 weeks. Çiçeksepeti offered me my first developer job just after the cohort and my dreams came true! When I decided to quit my job in June, I had neither coding knowledge nor engineering approach. But I landed my first developer job in just 4 months! I’m super happy with my new life.

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