CodeSpace Case Study
Balancing motherhood and work.
Jody's Story
Facing financial and personal challenges, Jody turned to coding to create a better future for herself and her son. With the support of CodeSpace, she pursued a career in tech, landing a role as an Account Manager at a fintech company. Today, Jody enjoys a fulfilling career while balancing motherhood, thanks to a flexible work model.
Life before learning to code
One month into studying at CodeSpace, I found out I was pregnant, and my parents didn't approve, and would not contribute towards my fees moving forward. I felt hopeless and needed to find a way to keep on studying.
I was determined that I wanted to pursue a career in coding because I had been part of a program in high school called Code4CT where I learned to code. When I first started coding at Code4CT, I knew I'd found the right career path because I was really good at it!
The CodeSpace team stepped in and offered me a scholarship, which allowed me to continue at CodeSpace despite my uncertain financial situation.
Despite my difficult circumstances, I felt like I could push through and pursue my coding education because of the support of the CodeSpace team and the passion and aptitude for tech I’ve carried with me since childhood.
"Despite my difficult circumstances, I felt like I could push through and pursue my coding education because of the support of the CodeSpace team."
Where coding has taken me
I am working at a very successful fintech company, while balancing caring for my 4 year old son. They build online payment systems for merchants around Africa. The heart of Peach Payments is to enable entrepreneurs and businesses in Africa to develop and succeed in digital commerce.
I am 2 years into my role as an Account Manager and hoping to move into a position as a Key Account Manager soon. I've been lucky to work at Peach for my whole career so far. I am merchant-facing, which means I take care of the relationship between Peach, the merchant, and the bank. While I don't code as part of my job, my background in coding allows me to provide my clients with a better experience because I understand the technical challenges they're facing.
As of recently, I work in a hybrid model, which makes life flexible. I can manage my home life and family while maintaining my work. My child attends creche, and I am able to fetch him and spend time with him during the day. Once a week, I head into the office for in-person meetings and collaboration. It's always quicker to ask questions in person.
I still love coding, and I am allowed to freelance on the side, so I create websites for people I know! It gives me the opportunity to use my tech skills and creativity and see the end product of my work.
I feel empowered being a young woman thriving in both tech and motherhood. I'm so happy to be able to share my story of growth and resilience to inspire other women like me. The challenges I've faced have only made me stronger and turned me into the wonderful person, great mom, and dedicated employee I am today.
I'm going to encourage my son to follow in my footsteps and take up coding at a young age so that he can enter the tech industry one day, too.
Path from graduation to here
I started working in the middle of the COVID pandemic when my son was just 5 months old. It was hectic! I started as an intern but needed to prove myself to get a permanent role. Everyone was losing their jobs because of the pandemic, so I knew how much was at stake, so I had to make it work. There were lots of days that were challenging and full of tears, but I understood that I needed to do this for me and my baby. One blessing about starting my career with a new baby during a global pandemic was the ability to work remotely so I could balance my work and my parenting responsibilities.
How I landed this role was through Emma from CodeSpace who reached out to me about an internship opportunity at Peach Payments. I applied for the Applications Engineer position but was offered an operations role instead. This was a curveball for me, and it made me question a lot of things about myself. But then I realised I wasn't given this role because I was a woman or a new mother, but because the hiring team recognised that I was good at working with people.
After my 3-month internship, I was promoted to an onboarding role and then again to Senior Ops Personnel. But I wanted to grow even more, so I applied for another role within the Accounts Management team. I landed a role as a junior Accounts Manager because of my determination and my knowledge of the business's workings.
Since landing a permanent position and receiving promotions, my salary has steadily increased.
Advice for someone looking to work in tech while balancing parenting
Drink lots of coffee. Just joking! My main piece of advice is to prioritise your mental health. Kids only get crazier as they grow up, and life comes at you hard. Make sure you're looking after yourself first so you have what it takes to look after your family and your work.
"I am working at a very successful fintech company, while balancing caring for my 4 year old son."
My coding learning journey
My time at CodeSpace was fantastic. Everyone was so supportive and engaging. I studied around the staff, making it feel more like a workplace than a learning space. They were all young at heart and there to learn, which encouraged all of us students to love learning, too.
Being pregnant didn't stop me from pursuing my dreams. Instead, I gave learning my all, and look what I achieved: a beautiful son and a thriving career in tech.
Takeaways
- Stay committed to your goals, even when life throws unexpected challenges your way.
- A strong support system can make all the difference in your learning journey.
- Be open to unexpected roles, as they can lead to growth and long-term success.
- Flexibility and balance are key to thriving in both your personal and professional life.