"You will be surprised how far you can go" — get inspired by Carlie's pandemic career pivot to tech!
Carlie Dixon was working as a figure skating coach until the pandemic hit — here's how she made the most of the lockdowns and ended up kickstarting a new tech career with Juno College's Web Development Bootcamp.
Carlie's Journey into Tech
What was your job before Juno?
I was coaching figure skating and doing administration for the skating club. During the day, I was responsible for maintaining session registration lists, checking ice schedules, and answering emails. In the evenings I was on the ice, coaching.
How did you feel about your job? Why did you decide to make a career change?
I was at the rink 7 days a week with no work-life balance. I liked what I was doing but it got to be too much. I realized the only way to make more money was to work more. I was never going to make enough money to build any savings, buy a house or retire. And then the pandemic hit and I lost half of my income. I knew it was time to make a change, and I figured I may as well make the most of the ongoing lockdowns.
I knew it was time to make a change, and I figured I may as well make the most of the ongoing lockdowns.
Why did you choose web development in particular?
My brother-in-law is a programmer and he suggested I look into it. He sent me a few free classes to try and I really enjoyed it. I didn’t look into anything else, I just made the decision and went for it.
Why did you choose a Bootcamp program over other learning options?
I wanted to learn quickly. I didn’t want to be unemployed for very long; I still had rent to pay. I really liked how quickly Juno could take me from zero to employable. As well the Bootcamp offers great Career Services that you don’t get with university.
My brother in law recommended Juno. He had heard of Juno, then known as HackerYou, and suggested I look into it. So I signed up for their free Coding 101 Workshop. Coincidentally, that was 2 years ago today at the time of writing this! I learned a ton, loved the instructors, and had a blast. The rest is history!
I really liked how quickly Juno could take me from zero to employable.
Juno College's Web Development Bootcamp
What was Juno’s Bootcamp experience like?
Juno’s Bootcamp was amazing. The whole Juno community is incredible, supportive, and inspiring. I didn’t expect to feel a part of something when I signed up for Bootcamp. Every other educational experience I have had was about getting through the curriculum. Juno is about supporting you through a career change. It prepares you for everything, from zero to employment. But even after you have a job, the community is there for you as you grow through your new career.
Even after you have a job, the community is there for you as you grow through your new career.
Is there a project you're proud of that you'd like to share?
My solo React project was an anonymous messaging app about building positivity. The idea is to leave positive messages for someone so they can come to see the messages left for them when they are having a bad day or need a positive boost. I had loaded it with messages for every person in my cohort to give them inspiration as they start their job search.
What was it like working with Juno's Career Services?
Career Services was incredible. It had been 10 years since I last looked for a job, so the thought was intimidating. But Career Services made me feel prepped and ready before I finished bootcamp.
Every week we learned a little bit more about what to expect, how to prep, and what to do to stand out. It was great to have an expert giving advice and support. It gave me so much confidence to know so many people had my back and that they would always be there until you find a job. I have even seen people reach out for help while looking for their second job and Juno was eager to jump in.
Life as a Web Developer
What was your first job and company after graduating from Juno?
I work for Delta4 Digital, an agency based in St. Catherines. I was offered the job 2 weeks after graduation and started 3 weeks after that.
My job is to set up the custom CSS/JS for every website that we launch using our existing templates. After it’s set up I send it off to the content team. Once the site is ready to launch, I do all of the CSS touch-ups for anything that is broken or looks off. Our CMS does a lot of work for the coding of the sites, but I set up everything that needs to be customized.
We also have some ongoing projects to update older sites. This includes updating old code to ensure the site meets all of the current accessibility needs, speed optimization, and any design tweaks that need to be made to make it more user-friendly.
What do you enjoy about being a developer?
I love the work-life balance this career has. I don’t have to have a second job to pay rent, I have time for myself. Since my job is remote, I can work from anywhere. I’ve been able to visit my family without taking time off of work. It’s opened so many doors for me.
I love the work-life balance this career has (...) It's opened so many doors for me.
Closing Thoughts & Advice
What have you learned about yourself during your career change journey?
I didn’t really think I was qualified for a better paying job. I felt like my expertise in skating was so specific that it wouldn’t relate to anything else. Through Career Services, I learned that so many skills are transferable and all of my past experiences make me better at what I do now.
Advice for those looking to change careers and/or break into tech as a beginner?
The great thing about starting in tech is that you won’t have to be an expert or know a ton of languages to get a good job. Learn enough to get your foot in the door and the rest you can learn on the job or while you are building your career.
Anything else you’d like to share?
It never hurts to try something new. Even if you decide to pursue something else, coding is a great skill to have. It’s not easy to make a major change in your life but if you take it one step at a time, you will be surprised how far you can go.
It never hurts to try something new. Even if you decide to pursue something else, coding is a great skill to have.
Curious about a coding career?
Juno's Web Development Bootcamp is designed to transform beginners into job-ready developers! Check out what you'll learn and build: