Q: Tell us about your background

My name is Matt! I live in Southern California and have worked in the IT field here for the last 15 years. I started on the helpdesk and moved into server and engineering with an admin role. After that, I bumped around a few different positions at my company and ended in a business analyst and project management role.

I worked directly with the organization's software development team tasked with our website redesign and mobile app projects. Being involved in building a mobile app from the ground up was one of the most rewarding experiences in my career and sparked my interest in web development. I missed the hands-on role with technology and decided to commit to learning to code. I had a chance to leave my old job and reboot my career with Altcademy, so I took it. Learning to code is now my primary focus.

Q: How’s your experience in learning to code at Altcademy?

I love that the curriculum is text-based. Content delivered through a heavy dose of videos doesn't tend to stick, so this old school method suits me well.

It’s also tremendously important to learn how to read about code and absorb new concepts from text-based sources. Becoming comfortable with technical documentation is a vital skill and a big part of a software developer’s job.

Altcademy has a very in-depth curriculum, and it’s more affordable than I expected. Knowing that someone will review my code and give thoughtful feedback is so valuable. It’s such a great learning experience having a developer look at my projects after I submit them and adds a boost of confidence to move forward with the lessons.

The Slack channels and discussions add an element of community and are great for reaching out to instructors and mentors for Q&A.

Q: What are your goals?

Learning to code is a challenge, and if you’re not devoting time to it every day, then the knowledge fades quickly. So, I make sure to carve out space each day to code.

I love the satisfaction that comes from solving technical problems and feel drawn to the creative side of technology: coding, web development, web design. After all, coding is a form of creative problem-solving.

I'm not 100% certain that landing a full-time developer role is my end goal. But I'm thoroughly enjoying this coding journey and gaining more confidence in my abilities every day. Ultimately, I hope to find a place on a skilled development team where I can build on my Altcademy experience and keep learning.