This week’s Rookie to Techie is Elizabeth Julius, a teacher turned Front-End Engineer who wanted more out of her career.
This publication focuses on sharing experiences and narratives on how ‘Techies’ have gotten into tech, highlighting their challenges, motivations, and details valuable insights on how they have navigated the tech landscape from different starting points. If you would like to share your tech journey please fill this form.
I was very shocked when I heard you used to be a teacher up until 2023 and now you are a Front-end Engineer. That’s such a big career shift, how did it happen?
E: First, I got tired of the peanuts teachers were being paid. I needed more financially and I wanted a career that gives me freedom like working remotely. Then, the last school I worked at as a Biology teacher made me realize that I deserved more. They practiced all kinds of politics there, it was toxic and I needed an out.
So you wanted tech money
E: Yes o, you get it!
Was it easy for you to choose web development or did you already think of doing that from the moment you made your decision to pivot?
E: Yes it was. I already thought of doing web development ’cause I have no interest in manipulating data.
How did you approach learning the technical skills necessary?
E: I started by researching online what Front-end Engineering entails. Then I took some online courses. In fact, I took almost all the courses on W3 Schools (laughs) because I was so confused at the time. Then I took the general ALX software development course before I enrolled at a very cheap tech school in Bariga. That was a big mistake because I was doing more than my instructor.
I had to chill, save up more then attend a better boot camp with Gomycode where I learnt so much from. I started boot camp in July, 2023 and finished in November, 2023.
I am sure this must have been a huge change for you, how did you feel at the time when you started learning fullstack? Did you get stuck, did you want to stop?
E: Okay… So this was where my instructor at Gomycode came in. He made us see full-stack as something you could do yourself like solving your bugs yourself. At first it was frustrating because we were not getting any help from him. But four weeks into learning, it became fun building projects, having bugs and solving them yourself. We’d come to class and flex on our instructor about our progress.
And to be honest, I don’t think there was a point I wanted to quit because I left my teaching job for the boot camp. I was really determined.
Let’s go! Energy! It’s very rare to find fresh techies going into Freelancing, how did this happen?
E: It wasn’t planned o. After the boot camp, I started applying for jobs and these employers want you to have 5-10 years experience, like how? I am still 25, where do I even start from? I got so many heartbreaking rejection emails – ‘we’re sorry we can’t continue with your application at this point’. I even got rejected because of my location as well. For remote jobs o.
Oh, shoot! Sorry about that. How did you get your first client? What tools did you use and what methods did you deploy?
E: My boyfriend was my first client. I work on the frontend while he does the backend. For tools, I make use of Git, Docker and Mongodb. I use Vercel most times to test the application while he does the rest. Since then, I have been getting most of my clients through referrals.
Ah ah. Hope he paid you oh!
E: (laughs) Yes he did!
I hear most coders work better at night into the early hours of the morning, is that true for you?
E: Yes it is. First, there is constant light at night, then the environment is quiet. And then it just feels good working when no one is trying to disturb you. No calls—everywhere is just chilled.
Can you describe a situation where you got stuck on a task you were given, how did you handle it?
E: I was working on a project one time and I ran into bugs. Running into bugs can be the most frustrating part of front-end engineering, especially when they seem like they should be simple to fix. It’s easy to get discouraged, but guess what, I am not afraid to use AI and YouTube. They have saved me many times.
Do you think some specific skills from your teaching experience have translated well to your role as a frontend engineer?
E: Absolutely! My teaching experience has helped me with time management. I know how to juggle multiple tasks so I can meet tight deadlines. And then there’s the leadership aspect too.
Do you think you will ever work a 9 to 5?
E: I would love to. I think working with a company will help me learn a lot. I also look forward to working in a team.
Is this what you envisioned your tech career would be like? If not, how did you think the journey was going to turn out?
E: At all. This was not what I expected. I thought I’d be able to land a proper 9-5 immediately, you know because tech skills are in demand, but sadly that was not the case. Despite this though, I do not mind that I am freelancing, it’s not been easy but I don’t regret it. I’ll just keep pushing.
Want to know where to learn Front-End Engineering and get tech jobs? Sign up to the ‘Rookie to Techie’ newsletter. It’s go-to guide for the next generation of techies!
