From a Financial Auditor to Software Developer

You are probably wondering who are all those people who are courageous enough to stop at some point in their lives and decide to change or improve their career path. These people, that is the attendees of our courses, are just like you and me. That is why we would like to introduce you to their profile by presenting the story of Alo Neils, a graduate of our academy.

Each and every moment is right to start something new, interesting and inspiring. Why do you have to spend your whole life doing something that doesn’t give you satisfaction? We offer you the opportunity to develop and change for the better. Doesn’t that sound tempting? If you are still not convinced, read the story of Alo, maybe you will find yourself identified with him.

 

From financial auditor to software developer

Coming up with a dream

My name is Alo Neils and I always wanted to do something with passion. I’m a young, slightly ordinary guy who’s interested in music, sustainable future and everything that is related to technology. Like the majority of people, I chose a good and reliable profession, which is why I worked as a financial auditor for a few years. However, accounting is not exactly my ideal career path. There are not many things in it that could excite me and make me want to push myself forward. While technology is exactly my cup of tea. It changes fast so the need to try to keep up with it is high. This makes it a very interesting and inspiring career path that I’ve always dreamed of.

It’s easy to make a quick, spontaneous decision, but it’s very difficult to stick to it, however, I was motivated to change my life. I wanted to find something that would give me the opportunity to develop my passion for technology and turn it into a professional career. And of course a profitable one.

It was always in my mind

I pretty much randomly came across Software Development Academy ad for an info meeting about the course on Facebook and Instagram. Although I was already in the mindset of looking for new opportunities, this ad gave me the push to act. I had been interested in coding for a long time and had started some basic coding tutorials long before but never got far with them because there are just too many distractions at home. So, this course was perfect for getting myself out of that comfort zone and keep me focused. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.

When I wonder what I found the most attractive in this course I think that the competitive price and evening classes help me to make my decision. I could keep doing my everyday job and fill my evenings with something more interesting than staying at home. After attending the meeting I was determined to make a change in my life and enrolled. There really isn’t anything similar on the market right now, especially this intense at this price. SDA offers both remarkable, professional teaching staff, very interesting workshops and fantastic atmosphere at a very reasonable price.

No experience. No problem

Before the course I did not know very much about programming, I was interested in it, but I did not know where to start, I needed a stimulus. My knowledge was very limited, I had done some WordPress websites using templates and making changes to my needs but haven’t previously done any real coding beyond “Hello world”. For these reasons I was a little afraid, but I wanted it very much.

At first, the only thing that concerned me was the intensity of the course. The classes took place 5 times a week, 3 hours per evening for 6 months, which scared me a bit and I was worried that I would not be able to balance between course, study, work and personal life. But that washed away quickly when I realized I was going to use my free time more productively while doing something I enjoy.

Being at the first course in my town there were bound to be some hiccups from time-to-time, but that got ironed out later on and should be better for newer courses. Otherwise, I didn’t encounter anything deal-breaking for me. As this was an evening course and I was working during the day, there wasn’t much free time left to do additional studying at home. Occasionally it happened but not much. Beginnings always seem to be difficult, however, it is worth not to give up on the start but to give yourself the opportunity to develop. Not gonna lie, the beginning was though and it was hard to wrap my head around these new concepts but after a while, it clicked and then finding a solution to a problem or creating a working algorithm got really satisfying. Programming really is basically problem-solving. And this is exactly what I’ve been looking for in my life. Also, the tutors are the people who are daily working in this field, which gave me immediate insight into the market and everyday doings of a programmer/developer. These are people with passion and huge experience. I could really learn a lot from them.

Finally got the job!

The uniqueness of the SDA courses is the fact that it is very difficult to find similar courses of this calliper or depth at these prices, which makes it hard to not recommend it to others.
Although I have to say the first info meeting got my hopes up. As I have experienced firsthand the reality is a bit tougher for someone without previous working experience. But the important part is that it’s still doable.

A month or so before the end of the course I started looking for and applying to job ads. I would show I’m motivated and ask for more matching positions or internships. In interviews, they were surprised every time when I mentioned I’m attending this kind of course pretty much full time, 5 times a week, which showed my dedication and everyone appreciated it. Finally, I got an offer for an internship and started my first day in the new company on the last day of the course.

Now I’m still on my internship, working through my behemoth legacy project, learning new things every day and tackling interesting tasks. Thanks to the SDA course I got a good solid foundation of knowledge and I feel more comfortable taking on harder tasks. If the stars align correctly, I’ll soon get to do all of this as a junior developer. I never thought that with a little determination I could change my job and my whole life so quickly. Now I do what I’ve always dreamed of, I develop and interact with what I love, which is technology. It’s incredibly motivating and makes me feel like I’m always having fun even when I’m working because isn’t that what life should be like?

 

Willing to change your career and start your new path in the IT industry? Read more about our programming courses for the beginners.