You Belong In Tech 1.0

15+ untold stories of non-traditional paths into tech

7 followers

15+ untold stories of non-traditional paths into tech

7 followers

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Bootcamp grads, self-taught techies, a pianist, comic book artist, and everything in between. Celebrating the wins, revealing the struggles, and sharing the learnings on how they landed their first roles in software engineering, design, & product management.

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One layer for memories, skills, and rules across any agent

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Co.Lab Learning

Maker

I have an Earth Science background, and getting into tech was NOT easy. I knew no one in the industry. I ended up sending over 500+ applications, writing a cover letter for each. That got me four interviews total. I didn't even know what the word "agile" or "server" meant. 😅 Ultimately though, through sheer will and luck, I ended up making my way into Product Management at Zynga, and then went to Microsoft and Github. That was my path into tech. Luckily, I was a student, and at the very least I had the bandwidth to send all in all those apps I never heard back from. Unfortunately, that's not the case for many other talented technologists out there today. While there's no shortage of articles on “how to break into tech”, there are hardly enough stories - raw, personal stories - of one’s career journey, especially when coming from these more “non-traditional” backgrounds. Sometimes it's those stories that we need though, that remind us to persevere despite the common-but-unspoken hardships and the personal self-doubt. The tales that don't just highlight the wins, but also showcase the struggles behind the success. There is so much value in the different experiences and perspectives that each of us have. Bringing diversity of thought into the tech industry - that's how we'll solve problems with a truly global audience in mind. In addition to these ones, there's countless more stories and valid paths into tech untold! We call on you to share yours - who knows who you'll inspire? 💛

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5yr ago

Farmstead

I love this, super valuable across the board

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5yr ago

Co.Lab Learning

Maker

Oh by the way if it wasn't clear, this is a FREE ebook. 🥰

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5yr ago

Co.Lab Learning

Maker

@liveink #blessed for your support 🥺

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5yr ago

@herenhuang Wow this is awesome.... some true grounded stories to inspire :-) Thanks for making this :-)

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5yr ago

Co.Lab Learning

Maker

@herenhuang I also wanted to thank you for being a great example for others that there is a way into tech regardless of your background.

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5yr ago

Co.Lab Learning

Maker

It’s important to recognize that the privilege of a college education is not as accessible to everyone. And while the hard requirement of a STEM degree is less emphasized these days, there is still a large barrier to entry into tech for folks with non-traditional backgrounds. For those trying to transition into tech with no network or guidance, that journey is incredibly daunting, and it doesn’t stop after they land their first role. Imposter syndrome persists as they experience needing to catch up and keep up with others even when excelling at the highest levels. This has motivated us at Co.Lab to gather 15+ stories of how folks from non-traditional backgrounds got into tech - across software engineering, product design, and product management. We put these booklets together to be transparent about the realities of breaking into tech. Through storytelling, we hope to inspire and motivate folks through actionable tips from those who overcame various obstacles to get to their goal. Because regardless of your background, you bring a unique perspective needed to solve problems through technology to move society forward. You belong in tech.

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5yr ago

@sefunmioshy I believe in this vision! I'm here for the ride, congrats to you and @herenhuang on this release. More awesomeness to come!

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5yr ago

Techintern.io

I really enjoyed some of the stories that were shared! But what's Co.Lab? Tell me more!

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5yr ago

Co.Lab Learning

Maker

@kingsongchen Haha, thanks for the support Kingsong! You know very well that Co.Lab is an education program that gives real-world experience to aspiring techies. Shameless plug: www.joincolab.io Look forward to our continuous union and partnership to get more diverse talent into tech! 🥰

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5yr ago

Co.Lab Learning

Maker

@kingsongchen Thank you for being such an early ready of the booklets. Your feedback was super valuable.

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5yr ago

BCPRO.APP

?makers congrats on the launch! You should raise some money through crowdfunding to actually print these and put them in schools.

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5yr ago

Co.Lab Learning

Maker

@vasgo Ooo that's actually a really good idea! We can even just send them these PDFs to start too.

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5yr ago

Co.Lab Learning

Maker

@vasgo The hardcopy is next on our list of things to do!

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5yr ago

Congrats on the launch! I know on my team at work we've got folks with backgrounds in music, psychology, and philosophy - just to name a few. Each of their journeys is inspiring and their diversity of thought is critical to drive the innovation & growth of our products and our culture. Empowering more people and making tech more accessible is absolutely a worthy venture. Can't wait to check it out!

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5yr ago

Co.Lab Learning

Maker

@ali_vira In alignment with everything you've said, and now it's just about increasing the amount of companies and teams that also believe in that statement. Thanks again for the support Ali! Hope you enjoy the booklets too - we worked hard on them!

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5yr ago

Co.Lab Learning

Maker

@ali_vira maybe we should interview your entire team. We are happy to do a panel haha.

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5yr ago

Congrats on the launch and for sharing the stories of peoples' paths into tech. While "How To" books are important, learning about the journey of those with non-traditional career paths into tech provides much more value and insight. Not only that, it provides hope and inspiration for others who are looking to follow in their footsteps.

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5yr ago

Co.Lab Learning

Maker

@karen_swyszcz 100% this. It's like the chicken soup for the soul book series! Have useful takeaways... but include the realistic stories of how those takeaways were even taken away. 🥰

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5yr ago

Co.Lab Learning

Maker

@karen_swyszcz can't wait to discuss this in more detail in your podcast.

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5yr ago

Techintern.io

I'm a big fan of increasing accessiblity to tech, so I think it's wonderful that you're making these stories more widely available. Afterall, it was a story that originally got me into tech! Your website also looks great! How did you make it?

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5yr ago

Co.Lab Learning

Maker

@itsdjklee Wow! Was it someone else's story that you read previously as well? Thanks for the compliment. Shout-out to our developer Pravin for coding it up #lowcode style!

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5yr ago

Techintern.io

@herenhuang Actually, it was a novel called Microserfs. It's about a character named Daniel who forms a startup and sometimes visits the University of Waterloo. It was reassuring for me to visualize my career path in tech :p Great work Pravin!!

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5yr ago

Techintern.io

@herenhuang @itsdjklee WTF you weren't kidding: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mi...

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5yr ago

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