Meet Katherine Evans, Lead Engineering Instructor at Actualize Coding Bootcamp and Senior Software Engineer at Neon One. Katherine walks us through her journey from bootcamp student to bootcamp teacher, sharing tips for recent grads looking to land their first role. Saron and Katherine also talk about whether Katherine thinks it’s still worth learning to code given the economic climate and what she would tell others who might be interested in learning to code. Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  Actualize Coding Bootcamp Podium Education CAD PHP Katherine's GitHub Katherine's Website Katherine's Instagram

S26:E8 - Being Open to the Unexpected (Katherine Evans)

Saron speaks with Johnny Proano, Associate Software Engineer at Hilton Grand Vacations. Initially drawn to code while building his personal DJ website, Johnny took the full leap with the support of his family. Johnny discusses his initial belief that a degree was necessary to become a software engineer and his decision to attend a coding bootcamp instead. He reflects on the differences between the bootcamp and college experience and shares his job search process after graduation. Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  SQL Ruby Johnny's GitHub Johnny's Instagram Jonny's Website

S26:E7 - Thoughts on Degrees and Bootcamps (Johnny Proano)

Saron chats with Ronesha Dennis, Founder and Lead Engineer at Bergeron-Woodley. Ronesha talks about growing up and how tech played a role in her childhood (her first website was a fan site for Lil Bow Wow). She talks about how she ended up in another career for 5 years until she sat down and thought about things she liked doing as a child without being paid for doing those things. This led her to want to get into tech. She decided to leave her job, move back with her parents, and do an 8-week program on Ruby on Rails. She then did a fellowship with Code for Progress. After graduating, she landed a job as a consultant then advanced to an Engineer, a Senior Engineer, and finally to managing other Engineers. She has authored coding books and she has her company building applications for nonprofits and other small businesses. Ronesha speaks on the mental health break she took after making the switch to tech and how important it is to give yourself space and time to take breaks after a career transition. Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  Python, the Relatable Way Coding with Cornell Ruby on Rails Ronesha's GitHub Ronesha's Instagram Ronesha's Twitter

S26:E6 - Embracing Rest for Productivity (Ronesha Dennis)

Saron speaks with Shona Chan this week about her experience navigating the world of software following a successful career as a doctor in the field of Anaesthesia. Shona shares her experience working in the medical field for 10 years until she decided she wanted to pivot into tech. Shona talks about how she made the decision to go to a bootcamp to learn to code and how she got her first job in tech. Finally, she talks about transferable skills from her medical career to her newfound tech career and reiterates how there are so many skills career transitioners can take from one career to another.  Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  JavaScript CSS Shona's GitHub Shona's Twitter

S26:E5 - Exploring the Path from Medicine to a Tech Career (Shona Chan)

Saron chats with Laura Thorson, Program Manager at GitHub. Laura talks about how she was always interested in singing, dancing and music growing up which led her to UCLA on a scholarship to play the oboe. She tells us about her experience at UCLA and her decision to go to a coding bootcamp after graduation as opposed to searching for a job with her English Lit degree. Laura then describes the jobs she landed after bootcamp at Salesforce, Twitter, Meta and now GitHub and how LinkedIn played a huge role in helping her land these opportunities. Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  STK AdTech Laura's GitHub Laura's Twitter

S26:E4 - The Ins and Outs of LinkedIn (Laura Thorson)

In this week’s episode, Saron chats with Beau Carnes, Director of Technology Education at freeCodeCamp. Beau shares insights into his career trajectory, which began in television and digital media production. After gaining initial experience in this industry, he transitioned to work in education as a teacher. Beau speaks on his experiences within both these professions and speaks on his decision to venture into technology, establishing himself as a proficient software developer. During this conversation, Beau shares his reasoning for getting three degrees, finding the motivation to learn to code while balancing the demands of a full-time job, and sending out cold emails for his first job in tech.  Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  FAANG Beau's GitHub Beau's Twitter FreeCodeCamp JavaScript

S26:E3 - Learning to Code with a Full-Time Job (Beau Carnes)

In this episode, Saron chats with Lead Web Developer, Sarah Greer. Sarah talks about her coding journey and how she juggled her passion for coding through freelancing while homeschooling her children. Sarah talks about why it was so important to her to learn to code and to have a career outside of having the title of “mom”. She also shares her experience going from freelancing to working full-time and the reasoning behind the switch. Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  CSS HTML JavaScript

S26:E2 - Freelancing While Homeschooling (Sarah Greer)

This week, Saron talks with Camille Eddy, Technical Product Manager. Camille talks about her life growing up as a Pastor’s child, how she started and grew her business, and when she first found her passion for tech. Camille also shares her experience overcoming a fear of public speaking, and why it enabled her not only to travel the world but also land internships at companies like Google X, NVIDIA, and HP Labs all before graduating. Saron also talks to Camille about when she was asked to introduce President Obama. Camille concludes with principles she would lead with if she was a career transitioner looking to start her career in tech today. Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  Project Manager Product Manager Robotics Engineering Artificial Intelligence Camille's GitHub Camille's Instagram Camille's Twitter

S26:E1 - Make Your Accomplishments Visible  (Camille Eddy)

Saron chats with Judith Lung, Software Engineer at LinkedIn. Judith shares how she found herself in tech after initially getting her masters in Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling. Judith talks about her experience learning to code as someone who is blind and the changes she aims to make in the tech space to aid in the progression of tech accessibility. Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  Judith's GitHub Judith's LinkedIn edX Edge freeCodeCamp Assistive Technology Department of Rehabilitation  IDE Screen Reader

S25:E8 - Empowering Developers of All Abilities (Judith Lung)

Saron chats with Stefi Rosca, Frontend Engineer at Typeform. Stefi talks about their path to breaking into tech in their later twenties after having a fulfilling career in marketing. They also talk about the communities they joined to help motivate and encourage them along the way and how they leveled up in the tech space. Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  Stefi's Website Stefi's GitHub Stefi's LinkedIn Stefi's X Account The Recurse Center Codebar freeCodeCamp C

S25:E7 - Overcoming Fears and Pursuing Passions (Stefi Rosca)

Saron sits down with Rachel Nabors again. They talk about what Rachel has been up to since they were last on the show in 2017, the inside scoop of Big Tech, and Rachel’s experience working for organizations such as Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft. You’ll also hear why Rachel has decided their next chapter will be at a startup and what they are hoping for in their future. Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  See Rachel at React Brussels (Oct 13) See Rachel at React JS Day, Verona (Oct 27) See Rachel at City JS Berlin (Nov 3) See Rachel at React Summit NYC (Nov 13 - 15) Animation at Work Wiggly Goose Club Rachel's 2017 CodeNewbie Episode Rachel's 2014 CodeNewbie Episode Rachel's Instagram Rachel's Twitter Rachel's GitHub Rachel's Website Web Animations API React

S25:E6 - Big Tech: What They Say vs. What They Mean (Rachel Lee Nabors)

In this episode, Saron sits down with Brian Jenney, Senior Software Engineering Manager at Clorox. Saron talks to Brian about his struggles with addiction, how he changed his life and turned a new leaf with coding and sobriety, and how his go-getter personality has served him well and continues to play a role in his current success. They also talk about what being a leader looks like and the ways in which you can become a leader regardless of the challenges life throws at you. Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  GitHub YouTube LinkedIn X Instagram AngularJS C# JS Code Coach

S25:E5 - Mastering Leadership (Brian Jenney)

Saron talks to Ale Thomas, Developer Advocate and Web Developer at Kubeshop | Mixed Change. Ale talks about growing up in Mexico and learning to code on her own. She walks us through her career history and how she paved her way into tech without a CS degree. She highlights how mentors played a critical role in her coding journey and how important finding those mentors and a community is. Finally, Ale shares her thoughts on what inclusivity in tech means to her and the work she is doing to make an impact in the space. Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  Ale's GitHub Ale's LinkedIn Ale's Instagram Ale's Twitter React Angular Scrum HackerRank DSA C# Python C++

S25:E4 - Diversity Dialogues in Tech (Ale Thomas)

Join us as we sit down with Vanessa Vun, Frontend Engineer at SciShield. Vanessa talks about how she first built a computer when she was in middle school but ended up taking a different path for her studies and found herself back in tech after working as a Clinical Lab Scientist for 10 years. Vanessa shares how she gained her technical experience to put herself in the best position when applying for jobs, along with tips on how others could learn from her journey.  Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  Vanessa's GitHub Vanessa's LinkedIn Vanessa's Twitter Vanessa's Instagram Code for America Hack for LA Open Source Technology C++

S25:E3 - Self-Taught Coding Stories of a Former Lab Scientist (Vanessa Vun)

Meet Alex Lee, Frontend Engineer at Amazon. In this episode, we learn why Alex pivoted away from Mechanical Engineering and we follow his journey of transformation, opting to learn to code through a bootcamp over multiple law school offers. Alex also talks about his passion as a dedicated career coach and we learn more about Alex who not only excels in the realm of cutting-edge technology but also empowers others to navigate their career paths with confidence. Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  Alex's GitHub Alex's Youtube Alex's LinkedIn Alex's Twitter TechRally Website Alex's Instagram Git Series A Company Flatiron School

S25:E2 - The Journey from a Bootcamp to a FAANG (Alex Lee)

In the kickoff episode to Season 25, Saron talks to Marley Anthony, Software Engineer at Bench Accounting. Marley talks about his career pivot from studying biomedical sciences to getting into tech. He unravels his strategies and tactics to secure his first internship, the pivotal steps he took to transition into his current role, and the significance of laying a solid foundation of knowledge early in his career. Tune in to gain valuable perspectives on strategies for landing that all-important internship, fostering growth, and embracing the ongoing pursuit of knowledge. Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  LinkedIn Debug Git Variable JavaScript CSS

S25:E1 - Pivoting to Tech from Biomedical Science (Marley Anthony)

Saron talks to Madison Kanna, Senior Software Engineer, Health and Wellness at Walmart. Saron talks to Madison about finding the inspiration to transition from being a model to becoming a skilled developer. Madison talks about the experiences, challenges, and moments that sparked her interest in development. Listeners will gain insights into the tools and resources she utilized to hone her coding skills when first embarking on this new path. Madison also highlights the importance of seeking mentorship and how mentorship can open doors to exciting opportunities. Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  Madison's Blog Web Development Systems Programming Data Science Python CodeBookClub Deep Work

S24:E8 - A Model's Journey to Software Development (Madison Kanna)

Today, Saron sits down with Natalie Davis, who shares her experience pursuing software engineering after climbing the ladder in the retail industry for 15 years. In their conversation, Natalie talks about what she has learned navigating the tech industry, how she's navigated layoffs, and why she has grown to be more selective and intentional with prospective new opportunities. Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  Mark Thompson Cassidy Williams Developer Advocate 2FA Natalie Davis (GitHub) Natalie Davis (Twitter) README Angie Jones ISA (Income-Share Agreement)

S24:E7 - Navigating Layoffs with Intention (Natalie Davis)

Saron sits down with Stacey Graham, Software Engineer at a fintech company. Stacey grew up curious about computers since being introduced to them in the 7th grade. Although she didn't take the full plunge into code immediately, she constantly provided technical support in her previous roles. Hear Stacey talk more about her experience navigating her career transition while battling health troubles, how you can level up and network in the tech community, and where to look for communities while you are just starting out. Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  YNA OpenSource Project Github Join & Contribute to YNA YNA Twitter YNA LinkedIn YNA Instagram Stacey's Instagram Stacey's Twitter Meetup.com WorkSource Atlanta Career Karma Team Treehouse Codecademy freeCodeCamp JavaScript CSS HTML Network Administrator

S24:E6 - Surviving Cancer, Building Code, Thriving in Tech (Stacey Graham)

Today, Saron talks with Phoebe Voong-Fadel, a self-taught Frontend Developer at the National Foundation for Educational Research. After having transitioned from a successful 14-year career in Higher Education in 2017, Phoebe made the courageous decision to pursue coding full-time while balancing the responsibilities of being a mother to her two children. Along with learning about her experience balancing learning to code and being a mom we talk to Phoebe about her passions that extend beyond her professional role. She actively contributes to the coding community by writing articles for freeCodeCamp and mentors early-career developers. Show Links Code Comments (sponsor)  IRL (sponsor)  Udemy React The Collab Lab Paired programming OpenLayers Front-end Development Python CS50 JavaScript #100DaysOfCode freeCodeCamp HTML

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