Learn Ethical Hacking at These 115 Ethical Hacking Bootcamps

My degree is in Economics and my first job out of school was in NYC at a large financial institution. It was a great first job but I learned that I would thrive more in a startup culture at that time so I called my friend who was the CEO and Founder of Super Coffee and we met for coffee one morning. I told him I wanted to do what he was doing. Build something from the ground up. He thought I would be a great fit in Food & Beverage and two weeks later he offered me a job, which was to build an ecommerce Wholesale Program.

In this role, I loved identifying who my target audience was, pitching the products, gathering feedback, negotiating pricing and even some exclusive distribution agreements. In 6 months, we had over 500 SMB customers and brand partnerships with Barry's Bootcamp, Solidcore, & SoulCycle.

In March, 2020 our company signed a Master Distribution Agreement with Anheuser Busch InBev and I was promoted to Director of Brand Operations. My job was to serve as the singular interface between senior leadership at both companies. It was in this role that I discovered my passion for executing  start-to-end project plans that align with company priorities and synergize cross functional teams, key stakeholders, and workflows. After two wildly successful years, we accomplished the mission and fully integrated with AB InBev's systems, processes, and tech platforms and partnered with over 400 distributors nationwide selling over $100M in Super Coffee.

Around February 2022, I was in Pennsylvania visiting family and my dad and I were eating breakfast together. He's been programming for 40 years and it got me thinking. Why hadn't I ever thought to try? Genetically, maybe I'd be good?! The next morning, I was targeted with an ad on Twitter for UT Austin's Full Stack Web Development Bootcamp so I thought, what the hell, and applied. Sure enough, I was soon accepted and was pressed with a decision to make. After having conversations with my family and girlfriend, I decided to take the leap so I resigned from my job and enrolled.

We are just over the halfway point of the bootcamp and I can confidently say it was the right decision. This experience has been such a blessing in my life! It has given me the career clarity I needed. I intend on blending my experience as an enthusiastic and effective Project Manager with my blooming technical skillset to pivot into a Product Management position!

Overall, I've had such a positive experience with The Coding Boot Camp at UT Austin. Our instructor is wicked smart and breaks complicated concepts down in a way that allows us to internalize them easier. The rest of the instructional staff is top notch as well; and last but certainly not least, our Student Success Manager, who is always there for support! I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my amazing tutor, who has played a huge role in my development as well.

My favorite aspect about the program is unequivocally my cohort. We have such a diverse, talented, kind, and fun group. I am super grateful for you all for organizing study groups to iron down tougher concepts, sending funny memes in Slack and Discord channels, and always being there to help.

Advice I would give to other prospective students to ensure success:

• Attend office hours regularly
• Use the maximum number of tutoring sessions allowed
• Don't be afraid to speak up and ask questions
• Be compassionate with yourself and your classmates
• Track the amount of time you put in studying, researching, or doing homework outside of class. It motivates you to put in more time when you can see your performance visually.
• Get started on the Career Services milestones early. At a minimum, ensure your LinkedIn profile and resume are optimized by the end of the bootcamp so you can apply to jobs immediately.
• Don't be afraid to fail. This bootcamp isn't easy but with a positive, growth mindset, you can not only pass but excel!