Noelle attended Ohio State for a few years before deciding to work for Amazon as a Process Guide. She enjoyed her work at Amazon, but she was interested in pursuing a career in the tech industry. When she learned about We Can Code IT (WCCI) through the Amazon Career Choice program, she decided to enroll in their coding bootcamp. Through Career Choice, Noelle was able to have her bootcamp tuition fully covered. When reflecting upon her Amazon Career Choice experience, Noelle said “It’s a great way to upskill and potentially find a rewarding career. Take advantage of it. I saw the program and was like ‘why not, it’s free!’“

Even though Noelle had the courage to jump towards a new career, she still experienced imposter syndrome before attending bootcamp. When imagining what her bootcamp experience would be like, she described herself as sitting quietly in class, getting her work done and minding her own business. Instead, Noelle had a far different encounter with her classroom environment.

“The most valuable part of bootcamp for me was the exposure,” she said. “Being in bootcamp really stretched and pushed my boundaries. They [Instructors and Career Services Coaches] really put you in a setting where you will be working on a team with other individuals. You put yourself into the program to learn. That’s what I did and I made really great friends. I talk to my friends from bootcamp to this day and we still work on different projects together.” Because of bootcamp, Noelle was able to create a new network of companions in the tech industry.

Upon reflecting on her coding bootcamp experience, Noelle discussed her transformation, ultimately learning that she is capable of whatever she sets her mind to. Noelle discussed the origin of her imposter syndrome forming when she was taking technology classes in college. “I came into bootcamp with this notion that coding was a super difficult thing. Since I took a coding class in college and I didn’t understand anything they were teaching, I never pursued it [coding] any further. I was hesitant to attend bootcamp because of this too. I think the most powerful thing I gained was direction and guidance to accomplish great things, then pursue a career in it.” Noelle’s self-doubting beliefs prior to bootcamp were contrarian to her actual performance during the course. She began excelling in the classroom shortly after class started.

Noelle exceeded expectations during coding and Career Services instruction. While immersed in the job search process, Noelle was patient and intentional with where she applied. She wanted to be sure she would be a good fit for the company and what they are trying to accomplish.

Today, Noelle is an Associate Instructor at We Can Code IT. She deliberately applied to teach at our coding bootcamp because she not only has a fresh understanding of how the bootcamp is run, but she also strongly identifies with the organization’s social mission. We Can Code IT is committed to making tech more inclusive and accessible by providing coding education to underrepresented groups, including women, people of color, and veterans.

Through their coding bootcamps, We Can Code IT is working to close the gender and diversity gap in tech. We Can Code IT has been awarded, “Best Coding Bootcamp” by Course Report for 7 years in a row. This impressive statistic is a testament to the effectiveness of We Can Code IT’s approach to coding education, which includes mentorship, career coaching, and a supportive community of learners.

Noelle cares deeply about We Can Code IT’s social mission, and she is committed to helping others achieve success in the tech industry. As an Associate Instructor, she plans to use her experience to assist others who, like her, felt that they didn’t fit the stereotype of a programmer.