CodeSpace Case Study
How learning to code
led to an international career.
Jasper's Story
Jasper joined CodeSpace fresh out of high school and has achieved an international career younger than most. CodeSpace was the right balance between learning independently through Udacity, FreeCodeCamp, and Udemy, and enrolling at university. While living in Cape Town, Jasper has the opportunity to travel internationally in his fully remote role as a Software Engineer.
Life before learning to code
Jasper was figuring out his future after high school when he found CodeSpace.
I had just finished high school, and I hadn’t done really well. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do yet, so I started taking a few online courses by myself. I enrolled in an Intro to Programming course online. I was really enjoying learning about coding, but I was struggling to learn independently. That led me to find CodeSpace. They provided the support I needed to succeed, which catapulted me to where I am now.
"CodeSpace provided the support I needed to succeed, which catapulted me to where I am now."
Where coding has taken me
Now as a Software Engineer he works remotely and his job lets him travel and upskill.
Now, I am a Software Engineer at an awesome company. They have offices in Boston, London, and Cape Town (where I am based), and the work environment is really great. My role is remote, but whenever I'm in one of those international cities, I'll head into the office because I love collaborating with my colleagues. I worked remotely from Sweden for three months – an incredible opportunity made possible through having a remote job. In my current role, my salary is great and there are incentives too, like bonuses and stock options.
A perk of working for this company is that they give everyone a yearly stipend to spend on any courses. I’ve used that to progress my programming skills by studying Computer Science remotely at the University of London.
Since learning to code, I’ve changed a lot. I went from an unsure high school graduate to a thriving software engineer who is fully confident and capable. I love every minute of what I do.
The tech industry has been so open and sharing. It is very community-focused, and everyone is happy to share and collaborate.
Path from graduation to here
Leaving his first internship led to finding his feet in tech.
The story of my first job is an interesting one. While I was studying at the CodeSpace campus, I was contacted by a recruiter. I went in for a technical assessment at their offices. I passed it and was offered the role right there and then. Funny story: I went into the internship but left after a day. I did not love the company at all. But all was not lost. I got another internship with the help of my brother. I was an intern for three months and then landed a permanent position as a Junior Developer, which lasted a year and a half. I had one more role as an intermediate Full-stack Developer before landing my current job.
Although my first job was not the best fit for me (and only lasted a day), it really empowered me to know exactly what I wanted to achieve with my life. I knew that I had other options.
My coding learning journey
Learning with CodeSpace gave him the support he needed to succeed.
In high school, I’d done a little bit of coding, so when I took a gap year, I started taking a few online courses by myself. It was tough! I enrolled in an online course but I was really struggling to learn by myself. However, I really was enjoying learning about coding. I found CodeSpace, and they provided the support I needed to thrive.
"Since learning to code, I’ve changed a lot. I went from an unsure high school graduate to a thriving software engineer who is fully confident and capable."
While studying at CodeSpace, I continued online courses on platforms like Udacity, FreeCodeCamp, and Udemy on my own time. These supplemented my learning experience at CodeSpace and added to my growing coding knowledge.
My brother was a massive inspiration to me. He was a UX Designer and would always rave about his role. He was so encouraging to me, and in the early days, we started learning together.
Now, through my company, I have the option to study, so I’m studying Computer Science at university. I’m enjoying the theoretical aspect of university studies. While a degree definitely isn’t necessary to become a developer, learning the Computer Science fundamentals, which a degree provides, can provide a massive leg up!. My studies have been really helpful for growth and keeping up with the latest learning.
Takeaways
- University is not the only path to an international career. Alternative education institutions like CodeSpace let you access high-growth jobs.
- Being a lifelong learner will massively propel a career in software engineering. Using publicly available resources like Udacity, FreeCodeCamp, and Udemy, alongside an institution like CodeSpace, can provide an alternative to a Computer Science degree.
- Network with as many people as you can. Start while you are still studying. Your network will help you find opportunities.
- Don’t be afraid to walk away from a job that isn’t right for you. Jasper spent only one day at his first job.
- Take an internship as a door to where you want to get. Jasper did a three-month internship, which led to a permanent position as a junior developer, which lasted a year and a half.