Steven took Software Engineering and got a Web Developer Internship shortly before the end of his program. Given his passion for design, Steven is now working as a Web Designer.
Read more about his journey to his dream career.
What inspired you to learn to code and go through the Software Engineering program?
I have a background in graphic design, it was what I went to school for. I tried to build a few websites when I first started graphic design, but felt completely overwhelmed and intimidated by it so I decided I would never pursue anything to do with websites.
Fast forward about 8 years and I started to realize there wasn’t a way around it, I should learn how to build websites. I felt like my design skills were strong enough that I wouldn’t have to learn design again, but I wanted to learn how to code my designs.
That is when I heard about these coding bootcamps. I knew with my schedule, an online one would work best. After doing research for a couple weeks, I decided to join the Web Dev program.
Since the program, you’ve started pursuing Web Design.
How has that transition been?
It hasn’t been too hard because of my background in graphic design. The Web Dev course definitely taught me more of the technical stuff I would need to know for web design, especially when designing for responsive.
What made you decide to focus on design vs. development?
I have always been passionate about design, so it wasn’t really a hard decision to jump into a design role. I feel like I am better at it than coding and get more enjoyment from it.
Do you use code in your new role?
I actually don’t. However, I do often open up the inspector and read through some CSS and HTML if I am trying to update designs for a current website. But for the most part I am only working in Sketch and Photoshop.
I would say that taking the web development course has made it a lot easier to communicate with the developers I work with. I understand better what they have to do and what they need from me.
Did you find that Thinkful offered a good amount of support throughout your program?
I did. I really liked having access to the Slack channel which always had someone available to help me through a problem and also having a mentor to help with something.
How did Thinkful change your life?
Taking Thinkful gave the knowledge I needed to pursue my dream job. Because of that I was able to land my dream job which will be able to provide for my growing family.
What was your job interview like? Do you feel like the skills you learned at Thinkful prepared you adequately?
Thinkful definitely prepared me to be more comfortable talking about development and tech by doing mock interviews. It was great practice for the real thing. However, my interview process for my current role as a Web Designer wasn’t too bad.
It started with a phone call from the co-owner of the company to set up a lunch meeting. We met for lunch and talked a bit about my experience, goals, and me as a person. I then had a second interview with the creative director the next day where we talked more about my experience and the work they do at their company.
Immediately afterward, they offered me a position as Junior Web Designer.
Do you think you got a good return on your Thinkful investment?
I believe I did. I don’t think I would have gotten the job I have without that year of working through Thinkful and learning code. I think it opened many future opportunities for me.