Breaking Down the Door
In 2022, I was 26 and working for a major grocery store chain. I had been there for more than five years, two of them as a manager. The pay wasn't great, and the work was tiring, even after a recent raise brought me to $23 an hour. Still, it worked for me at the time. I had been in the workforce since I was 15, mostly working retail and odd jobs. I dropped out of high school because of a…
In 2022, the reporter was 26 years old and had been working at a major grocery store chain for over five years, including two years as a manager. Despite earning $23 per hour, the reporter felt overworked and underpaid. The reporter had dropped out of high school due to a difficult home life and only earned a GED later on. While the reporter had skills in technology, such as building GUI applications, they never seriously considered a career in technology due to a fear of math.
However, after six months of researching tech jobs, the reporter learned about a free coding bootcamp featured on 60 Minutes. The reporter applied for the program, which required passing tests focused on problem-solving and critical thinking rather than raw arithmetic. The reporter passed the tests and was accepted into the bootcamp, realizing that the skills they had developed in other areas, such as problem-solving and critical thinking, could be valuable in the tech industry.
After completing the program, the reporter transitioned into a new role as a software developer, facing the challenge of learning new concepts quickly while still feeling uncomfortable at times.
Written by urgent.news from Dev.to's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
