Kristopher was looking for a way to get out of Kansas City when he joined the Air Force. He started his career as a Linguist but swichted over to be an Air Transportation Specialist. He worked in Germany at Rammstein. After the military he continued to work overseas and came back to the states so he could attend Sabio.He found Sabio's program when he was doing research on the VA's website. He was looking for a new career opportunity and thought coding would be a good option. He read reviews and looked at different companies and decided to take a shot with Sabio. Starting the class was really challenging. Each week less people would continue in the program. But he started to connect with others in his cohort and build a support group. After the first phase he had to move to California so he could attend in person at least two days a week. He bought a bed and put it in his car and lived out of his car using the showers at the campus. He liked being on campus and was able to help others as he spent time learning and growing as a software engineer. Early on in his training to become a software engineer he was contacted by a handful of recruiters. Because he was still in the early stages and wasn't going to complete the program for a few more months he wrote back that he currently wasn't available. He was able to reconnect with the one of the recruiters near the end of his time at Sabio and that led to the position he is in today. He talked about the continual need to learn and innovate. He also mentioned the importance of leaning into technologies and use them as tools. AI programs have actually helped him as a software engineer and have helped him improve. He is thankful that he took the leap and dove into Sabio's boot camp program. Want to learn about how you can become a Software Engineer head over to www.sabio.la/info to sign up to attend a free info session today!

Her sister's career both flexibility and paycheck were what led her to look at a career in software engineering. She didn’t do a lot of research and instead just took a leap of faith and signed up to attend Sabio’s Bootcamp program. She was able to pay for Sabio by being a surrogate. She mentioned there are a number of different financial aid options that can support you financially both with tuition and with living expenses because you can’t work and be a student with Sabio but fortunately being a surrogate made it possible for her to have enough money to not have to go into debt. There are also special programs for veterans such as VET TEC and using your GI Bill benefits. Besides learning to code, Linda talked about how Sabio prepares you to be a developer. With your cohort you get to work with a company building a program that they need in their business. This not only gives you skills you can put on your resume, but you can also share about that experience when it comes time to prepare for an interview. You also learn how to code and you learn how to prepare for tech interviews. And the benefits and programs that support you have only increased since when Linda was a student. As Sabio continues to grow and expand, more ways to support students continue to expand. Linda was able to find a job pretty quickly after graduation and she enjoyed her career but was looking for something new and today is working remotely in Hawaii for a company in Illinois. She has to get up really early to be able to work on the timezone in Illinois but she finishes her day early and loves having the flexibility of working remote. She doesn’t know what is next in the future. She is proud of accomplishing her goal not only of becoming a software engineer but also being able to move to Hawaii. She is soaking up those accomplishments but who knows what the future will hold.Want to learn about how you can become a Software Engineer head over to www.sabio.la/info to sign up to attend a free info session today!

Additional Resources:Want to learn more about how to use your VET TEC benefits check out Episode 9 with Alley Johnson Free training with Sabio:https://sabio.la/free-coding-coursesLive training in May 2023: https://lu.ma/sabioSummary:He was able to use the VET TEC benefits to go through the Sabio Program. He was also able to save his Post 9/11 GI Bill for future opportunities. He started Sabio with no coding experience, but was quickly immersed into the world of coding. He learned so much and he got to work with the City of Los Angeles for his cohort project. It is still listed on his LinkedIn profile and was able to take his resume that was filled with his Army experience and now had experience working as a software engineer. He graduated in December of 2019. And as the world closed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic he was worried he wouldn’t be able to find a job. While looking for a job and sending out resumes he started working small jobs for small business owners to help create websites and resources. There is such a demand for Software Engineers that he was able to find a job over the next few months in the midst of a pandemic working OSI Express, Inc. working on building a CRM platform. He eventually left OSI to work as an instructor with Sabio. He helps new students go from people who don’t know anything about coding to finding their footing. He loves getting to watch them learn and loves supporting students through the program. He encourages people to get started with coding. There are free programs offered by Sabio that can help you learn a little about coding and see if it is something you are interested in. He loves supporting students who are following this self paced route.He also encourages graduates to remember how much they have learned and to go in with confidence. Be confident with what you learned and if you don’t know the answer come back after the interview and share what you have learned. He felt unsure of himself before he went to his first interview. But he realized he was prepared and ready.

Learning more about Sabio while driving from house to house to deliver food is how Trey and Martisha tuned into Sabio’s info session. What they were most impressed by was the numbers of people who had found employment after going through the boot camp program with Sabio. Other boot camp companies had talked about what you would learn through their program, but Sabio provided numbers and shared how they would help you find a career. They were also able to take advantage of a program Sabio was offering where they could start paying back their loan after getting a job. So, they decided to take the leap and join Sabio. When asked about what they learned. They didn’t talk about coding. Of course, learning to code is a big part of a coding bootcamp. But what they took away was all the things they learned that may not seem obvious. They talked about the support in finding a job, not only through resume writing, job applying, mock interviews, but also the support of past graduates who are continually helping graduates find their next career. It isn’t just a boot camp. It is a family and community that continues after graduating. It took a lot of hard work to find a job once they were given the go ahead they started applying to jobs with a goal of at least 50 application a day. They also received valuable feedback from Sabio team members and their cohort. They also did a mock interview with a past graduate that recommended for the apprenticeship they are currently in today. The program was geared toward past military members but Martisha read the fine print and found that even though they did not have a military background they could still apply. Once they were accepted to the Amazon apprenticeship. They spent another 17 weeks going through a bootcamp to learn about the code and programs Amazon uses. Upon completion of that program they transitioned into their current roles. And at the end of they year they have the opportunity to transition into a full time role. They said their current salary is around 110,000 a year with a $10,000 signing bonus. They also said when hired in a full time position at Amazon they will get a pay raise. Martisha also mentioned she is pregnant. Amazon is providing her paid maternity leave while she is going through the apprenticeship program. Amazon also offers paternity leave for patterns but you have to be at the company for more than a year before being able to take part in that. Their advice for anyone considering attending Sabio’s boot camp is to do it. Don’t give up. There were members in their cohort who quit. And sometimes life happens and you have to change course. But they were desperate for a new life and were not willing to quit. I loved the quote Trey said “Don’t quit on your hardest day, quit when it is a great day.” Sabio’s program is tough, but that is why it is a bootcamp. And at the end of the day it can change your life.Want to learn more about how to become a software engineer? Head over to www.sabio.la to learn more about their coding bootcamp and how you can begin your career as a software engineer.Related episode:The STAR method for interviews

Her love for coding began in childhood. She got started with coding when she got hooked on Neopets. There she learned and taught herself to write html and css. She then went on to create fan pages for Harry Potter, Marvel and more. Then she joined the Navy and never really thought that she could work in a career building websites. But she knew she wanted to do something technical and started looking at a career in hardware before realizing it was software she wanted to do.She thought she was going to have to use the last of her GI Bill and get a bunch of loans and spend four years in school. But then she learned about coding bootcamps on a military reddit site. She learned about Sabio from the VET TEC site as it was one of the recommended schools. They also said if students didn't find manful employment within six months of graduation they would not get paid. Not a guarantee for a job, but a strong motivator to show that Sabio believed in their program and that they would help you find a job. It took a few months to get a job and after receiving an offer and it being rescinded she had started to give up. But a recruiter reached out and shared with her a job opportunity working on a program that helps with mental health. It was something she was passionate and couldn't believe the opportunity was opening up for her. But she did not want to get excited, worried it might all fall through. She spent the next week preparing for the interview. She knew she needed to be strong with C-sharp so she spent the week building a program (a tic tac toe game) that helped her know how to answer the questions for the technical interview. She realized she sent out too many resumes and attended too many interviews when she first started looking for a job. She once had 12 interviews in a week and felt she did mediocre on all of them because she didn't have the time needed to prepare. Looking back she would be more selective of where to apply. She recommends people looking into a career in coding. There are a lot of problems that need to be solved and if you want to learn about how to solve problems it could be a great career path for you. Want to learn more about how to become a software engineer? Head over to www.sabio.la to learn more about their coding bootcamp and how you can begin your career as a software engineer. Interviews with people who work at Sabio:Co-owner Gregorio Rojas: https://breaking-into-tech.simplecast.com/episodes/helping-other-learn-to-be-software-engineersAlley Johnson: https://breaking-into-tech.simplecast.com/episodes/how-you-can-use-your-vet-tec-benefits-to-become-a-software-engineerNancy Her: https://breaking-into-tech.simplecast.com/episodes/advantages-of-sabio-coding-bootcampMegan Black: https://breaking-into-tech.simplecast.com/episodes/helping-your-start-your-career-in-software-engineeringJanessa Harris: https://breaking-into-tech.simplecast.com/episodes/breaking-into-tech-with-janessa-harris

He had originally planned to use VET TEC but the program ran out of money before he could use the benefits and he was left with the choice of having to decide if he wanted to pay out of pocket to participate. It felt like a big risk to invest in Sabio but they gave him the opportunity to defer payment until not only after he graduated, but after he gained a job. This showed him how confident Sabio was in their program and led him to take the leap and sign up. He talked about all he learned from Sabio. It was more than how to code, but it was all aspects of being a Software Engineer. They held weekly stand ups. And instead of giving you the answer or showing you how to solve the problem by trying different solutions and working though it on your own. He said that in the work he is doing today he is the expert in his area, his manager is not deep in the code so he has to be able to find solutions and learn how to move forward. It took him a few months to get a job and his first job was with a small company called. Orthofix. He enjoyed working with them and learning the day in and day out of being a Software Engineer. He was then able to get an internship with Microsoft through their LEAP program. This then led to a full time career with Microsoft and the work he is doing today on Windows Services.Want to learn more about how you can become a Software Engineer? Head over to https://www.sabio.la to learn more and set up to attend an info session today. Mentioned in this episode: Course Report

He shared how Sabio changed his life. And because they were forced to go remote due to the Pandemic in 2020. This gave him the opportunity to join in since he did not have to be physically in LA. It also helped prepare him for work after graduating since he is currently working remote in both his roles. We also discussed the community of people that you meet through Sabio. Not only does the team at Sabio provide resources to help you with your resume, interviews, finding a job and more. You also get connected to a community of alumni who have gone through the program. It was through the alumni network he met his co-founder for Wealth Build. One of the hardest challenges he had through the bootcamp was wanting to apply to jobs before Sabio and the team said he was ready. He is a planner and likes to have everything locked in. So having the fear of not having a job was stressful. But he trusted the team and in hindsight is grateful their advice and feedback. And he was able to get a job and start within two weeks of graduating from Sabio’s program. In the end, he realized he needed to wait until he was prepared and ready for interviews instead of jumping the gun and possibly burning bridges by showing how much he still had to learn. He shared about his career with Vizient. They have a team structure that everyone gets an equal voice. He really enjoys being part of the team and being able to freely share his ideas and even the opportunity to follow a hunch to see if an idea will work. He also is excited to be working to build a fintech start up (Wealth Build). Software Engineering gets him excited and he loves being able to find a new way to solve problems. Want to learn more about VET TEC? Check out episode episode 9 and you can learn all about VET TEC resources and learn how you can use these resources to learn to code with Sabio School of Software and Engineering. You can also work directly with Meg Black a Navy veteran who works at Sabio by attending an one on one session. Sign up here today!

Are you interested in learning more about starting your career in Software Engineering? Head over to Sabio School of Software and Engineering website at https://www.sabio.la today!Josh grew up in the LA area and originally went to school to work in the medical field. He realized it wasn’t the right path for him and became a math teacher. While teaching he learned about a career in software engineering. He was intrigued and wanted to learn more so he bought a few books and began learning about Software Engineering.In his research he saw that completing a bootcamp program was recommended to help build a strong foundation for a career in Software Engineering. This led him to start looking into various boot camp programs in the LA area. He talked to Sabio and a few other programs before finally deciding to invest in Sabio’s boot camp. He talked about how not only did he learn about coding in Sabio’s boot camp but he also learned about how a team should operate when he started his job. He learned what it was like to be part of a team and how to be a full stack developer. He continually mentioned how valuable the training from Sabio was because it was the full package. Not just coding, but so many other skills that he still uses in his job today. He was able to find a job quickly after graduating. He put his resume out in as many places as he could and did interviews with different companies and was able to land a job within a few weeks of graduating. About six months after graduating, a recruiter at Kaiser reached out to him. He had done an interview when he had been looking for a job but it did not move forward. Now, six months later they wanted to offer him a job. He decided to make the switch into a new job. Today he is working as a Software Engineer at Kaiser fully remote. He gives advice to those starting their journey in Software Engineering to not be afraid to ask for help. Sometimes even watching senior developers code or work on challenging projects is a great way to learn new coding skills. Always first do your research before asking for help. But don’t spend so much time trying to find the answer and not using the coworkers you have around you. For those considering a career in software engineering. He says you must have a desire to continue learning. He is still learning today. Technology is continuing to change and shows no signs of slowing. And if you want to be successful in software engineering you will need to continue to work and learn.  

Martha learned about Sabio’s program while she was a part of RebootLA. Reboot LA provides free technical and entrepreneurial training to individuals with a criminal record who reside within the city of Los Angeles. She did a lot of research and hearing the positive things people said about Sabio led her to want to learn more and made it an easy choice to join the tech start up program. And she had made a list of things she wanted in her new career and Sabio met all the requirements. Specifically, giving her financial opportunities to help increase her income. And Sabio was also offering a program for people formerly incarcerated or have a criminal background. And she knew that if she joined the group she would be part of an amazing community that could support her and her unique life experience. She said signing up for Sabio was the best choice she ever made.  Sabio’s bootcamp program is a lot of work and does require a lot of sacrifices but at the end of the 17 weeks and upon graduation you have so many opportunities for your future. We also discussed the resources available to students and graduates. At the time there were limited resources for students considering entrepreneurship. But Sabio’s CEO and co-founder Liliana Aide Monge was able to connect Martha with a Business Accelerator provided by California State University, LA that was able to help her learn how to grow and scale her business. They also provided an intern (through a program called LEEAF) that was able to help her see how she could get the most value of having someone working with her and what gaps she had. She has been able to hire a team of contractors to help her with the various projects she has completed over her two years in business. One of the projects she is currently working on is environmental restoration, specifically focused on helping to restore the Chinook salmon at Mt Shasta in partnership with the Winnemem Wintu tribe. She has been able to work with them from idea to creation and it has been great to give back to the community and be part of this project. She says the sacrifices are worth all the hard work. Stay focused on your end goal and know that the sacrifice will be worth it. 

She met with Gregorio Rojas the co-founder of Sabio, via LinkedIn. She was starting to consider a career shift and after talking with Gregorio she was interested and set up an interview. A few weeks after the interview she was working at Sabio remotely. She was living in the Northeast but recently moved to the Midwest. Having the flexibility to work remotely meant that she could continue her career when her family moved. In Nancy’s role she works with students, but her primary role is to help graduates find jobs. When students graduate they are paired up with a tech recruiter (Nancy) along with an alumni. This tag team approach allows graduates to have resources to help them in their transition from student to employee. The resources available include resources to update graduates resumes along with preparation for interviews. Sabio also provides the opportunity to continue to code. Just like when you learn a new language you need to practice or you will lose the skill to speak that language. You need to continue practicing coding so you can keep up your skills while working to find your career. Sabio offers that along with support in finding a job. One of the great things about Sabio that she highlighted was how the program allows students to do real coding. It isn’t just conceptual. Each cohort is given a project to work on and they have to do daily standups, learn to work as a team, and do the coding work to make all the pieces fit together. Just like graduates do in their jobs with real companies. Students are more than graduates. They are software engineers ready for their new job. Sabio gives students a chance for hands-on learning. It isn’t conceptual. The work of writing code, debugging and all the other skills required are taught through doing at Sabio. You also learn about how to code as a team member. Coding often requires teams of people to solve problems so the fact each class is broken into a cohort with a team mentality really prepares students for their career. Nancy has seen students utilize the tools provided by Sabio not only during the boot camp but after graduating. Those students who utilized those tools are now moving up at the companies they are working for. They are moving up into management positions and gaining more opportunities and it all started with their journey through Sabio’s bootcamp program. If you are considering a career in software engineering and want to learn more about how Sabio can help get you started in your career. Check out their info sessions at https://sabio.la/info and website to learn more. There are a number of resources at www.sabio.la that can help you in your journey to becoming a software engineer. Mentioned in this episode:Info sessions: https://sabio.la/infoEpisode 7 with Gregorio Rojas: Podcast: https://breaking-into-tech.simplecast.com/episodes/helping-other-learn-to-be-software-engineersLive video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnFsLH7ko_8

When she left the military she continued the work she was doing in the Navy as a contractor doing work related to electronics and shifted toward software. Her husband completed the program at Sabio a few years ago and recommended she attend the program as well. She was open to the idea so she attended an info session and realized she could use the VET TEC (Veterans Technology Education Courses) program instead of her GI Bill, which she was wanting to save for school. And she also learned that the VA recommended Sabio’s program. These two factors helped her in her decision to attend Sabio. It is hard to sum up all she learned at Sabio in the 17 week bootcamp program. It was a lot. It is an intense 17 week program where you learn everything to become a full stack developer. This means you learn both the back-end, the middle and the front-end. In Episode 6 Meg Black explained Sabio’s program with the analogy of baking a cake. You learn how to make the cake (create the batter), bake the cake and decorate the cake. Sabio gives you a full education for all aspects of Software Engineering. When she graduated she started putting out hundreds of resumes and began to get interviews. She also got sick and feeling unwell didn’t help her perform her best on interviews. And then her first interview after being sick she was so stressed she couldn’t even remember her name, much less the things she learned from Sabio. Looking back she wishes she would have taken 15-20 minutes before the interview to meditate, listen to music, and remind herself that she was capable and able to do the position she was applying for. While she was still looking for a job the team at Sabio reached out to her and asked her if she would be interested in working for Sabio. They needed her to help students when they ran into problems when working through code issues. She was excited to work at Sabio and loves being able to help students in the program. If you are considering a career in Software Engineering she recommends people try out coding. Learn a little about C++, Java, etc. And see if it is something you are interested in learning more about coding. You can dive into Sabio’s program with no coding experience and do great. But she is more of a planner and prefers to try things out before she jumps in.  She is excited about her new career at Sabio and excited about the future opportunities available for her in the future. Want to learn more about how you can become a Software Engineer? Head over to https://www.sabio.la to learn more. You can also sign up to attend an info session by clicking here.

Thomas did do a lot of research when looking into a coding bootcamp but not in the traditional sense. He didn’t even attend an info session. But he did a lot of research on his own and because he did the most research with Sabio he decided to jump in and do it. He needed a new path forward. And despite living overseas in Turkey and having to worry about time zones he was able to complete Sabio’s Bootcamp program and get a job working as a Software Engineer. After getting COVID and then not being paid after being quarantine he decided to quit his job as a preschool teacher and try to find something new. He also wanted a new career and was ready to take the leap into Software Engineering. He was able to find a job that was remote and covered his expenses. He would work from 3-7 PM and then log into Sabio from 7 PM to 7 AM to complete the courses with Sabio. It was hard but he could see the light at the end of the tunnel. When he graduated he sent out a lot of resumes and did a lot of interviews. Each interview gave him the opportunity to pull from his experience and improve his answers for the next interview. Initially he was planning to stay overseas in Turkey, but a friend from his cohort at Sabio referred him to a job and he couldn’t pass up the opportunity and is now back in the U.S. working for the company and with his friend front he cohort. He recommends trying out Sabio’s free resources to see if you like coding if you are interested in attending their bootcamp program. You can check out their free courses here. It will help you know if this is something that interests you and can make it easier to take the leap. But you can also dive in without experience. Want to learn more about how you can become a Software Engineer? Head over to https://www.sabio.la to learn more. You can also sign up to attend an info session by clicking here.

Grergorio is an immigrant from Columbia and grew up in the Northeast. He graduated from Boston University with a degree in Athletic Training. And while he loved the work he did it was a lot of work, high stress and wasn’t able to provide for his basic needs and with the help of his then girlfriend, now wife and co-found and CEO of Sabio, Lilliana Aide Monge, he started his career in software engineering. He started taking night courses and learning about coding.He was able to learn how to build a website and shared his site bostonapartments.com and was able to land his first job in Software Engineering. Over the next eighteen months he was able to advance his career and went from barely being able to survive to making 80k. 80k was what he was hoping he could make at the end of his career in Athletic Training so he knew then he had made the right switch. He started Sabio because he felt more people needed to know about Software Engineering. It took years before he took his idea and only started with the support and encouragement of his wife Liliana. She believed in him and pushed him to take the leap. The initial goal was to create a program that allowed people to begin a career in Software Engineering. He found that the first challenge was letting people know Software Engineering was an option for a year. He also remembered that before he got involved in tech he didn’t believe computers were an option for him. So he wanted people to know that there are opportunities available to everyone in Software Engineering.When they started they were hoping to raise enough funding that Gregorio could stop working and focus full time on building Sabio. Unfortunately that didn’t happen. So instead classes were offered on weekends and Wednesday nights. Their first Headquarters was in Culver City and it is where they grew from. Today 250 students are currently going through the program both in person and online. Currently, courses in person are only available in the LA area but they are hoping to expand to other cities by the end of 2023. Today they have grown their team to thirty team members. Many of the team members are also graduates of Sabio. They have also provided resources to help build tools. Help graduates with their resume or finding a job. Sabio is focused on helping veterans. They believe that the training they provide can help veterans have a smoother transition out of the military and into their civilian life. Many veterans struggle with both underemployment and unemployment. So going through Sabio’s bootcamp utilizing their earned benefits like the GI Bill or VET TEC can help make the transition smoother or help a veteran who is struggling after leaving the service. Many of the past guest on Breaking into Tech are veterans. And many of those graduates learned about Sabio from veterans who had graduated from the program. He struggled with imposter syndrome when he started to launch Sabio. And he wished he would have believed in himself. Some areas he was unsure of and it took a long time to take the leap to start Sabio. But even with his self doubt he was able to create a program to help people learn how to be full stack developers and have the opportunity to work in tech. His advice to anyone considering a career in software development is to do it. And while there are tools online that can give you the opportunity to do it on your own. Learning to code on your own is challenging. Working as a team through the cohorts created at Sabio allow their students to grow together. Past guests have talked about how you learn coding through making mistakes and getting help from others. And Gregorio’s advice ties into their lessons learned as well. Are you interested in starting a career in Software Engineering, learn about how Sabio School of Software and Engineering can help you in your journey today.

She saw the future being tech and that was why interested in working for Sabio. She was excited to be able to work with veterans when she switched over to be the Director of Veteran Enrollment and Admissions. She even did her graduate thesis on student veterans so she was excited to be back helping veterans.Some of the resources that Sabio offers to those considering a career in Software Engineering are not only their expertise, but Meg also leads information sessions each Monday at 9 AM PST. She also is available for one on one meetings by phone. You can contact her at megan.sabio.la. She is also knowledgeable about what benefits are available if they are a veteran or military spouse and how to apply for the benefits through the VA website. The three main questions people ask when they are considering enrolling in Sabio’s bootcamp program are: What is the time commitment? How do I get my benefits? What computer requirements do I need?The course is 17 weeks long and takes you from novice to Jr Stack Developer. The time commitment is from 9 AM PST to 9 PM PST M-F, this includes a 1 hour lunch break and 1 hour dinner break. Class starts at 9 AM PST and ends at 6 PM PST, and instructors expect students to spend 2-3 hours coding after class is over. There is also a 9 AM to 3 PM coding requirement on Saturdays. Meg is knowledgeable in helping students navigate the VA system to enroll for benefits. It is dependent on what program they are using and their situation. The computer requirement is laptop or desktop computer (preferably windows) with 12 GB RAM and a webcam. The program is a full time full stack. Meg used the analogy of making a cake. Students learn how to bake the cake (the back end) and you know how to make the cake pretty (the front end). At the end of the program you are certified as a Junior Stack Developer. Along with support to help students get enrolled in Sabio. They also offer support in helping graduates find jobs. They have tech recruiters. Janessa Harris was interview on episode 2. She also discussed the rise in remote work options for software engineering which we talked about in Episode 1 with Axl Nunez.Her advice for those considering applying to attend Sabio’s boot camp program is to be hungry, humble and smart. Want to learn more about being a Software Engineer. Head over to their website www.sabio.la or connect with megan at [email protected] or (626) 557-3599 or SCHEDULE 1 ON 1 HERE

She had learned about Sabio’s Coding Bootcamp through the VetTech program. It was the top ranked school for software engineering and was also located in the LA area where she was currently living. She was on the fence on switching to coding until she attended a Sabio orientation to learn about the program. She decided that night she was signing up. Class was about to start. So the next day she put in her two weeks notice at her current job and began preparing for the first day of class. She was able to use her GI Bill and since she attended the in person program in LA was also able to receive BAH while going through Sabio’s bootcamp. She loves to learn and enjoyed Sabio’s program. It was a lot of work but the continued repetition and structured course made it so she learned what she needed to know to become a successful software engineer. She also shared about how her cohort worked together on a project for CART allowing restaurants more options for when customers order. She also worked with her co-hort to talk about the work she was doing that paid off when it was time to get a job because the questions asked in her interview with Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) were all questions about the work she did while at Sabio. She was able to get the interview with BAH through networking. She reached out to Lia Archuleta to thank her for a video she had created in the career resources offered by Sabio. When she reached out to Lia, Lia asked for her resume and was able to recommend her for a job at BAH. Before Shantay had even graduated from Sabio she had a job. She said she wished she had relaxed more before her interview. She was worried they were going to try and trick her with technical problems and questions. But she found that they were more interested in her and wanted to see if she was a right fit for the company. Of course, she had to talk about coding and the work she did but that was all BAH wanted to know. They also encourage a community of learning. She is very happy at BAH. She loves seeing the diversity and inclusion that BAH has worked to create in their work environment. She also loves how many veterans she is working with and that the work she is doing helps veterans, including herself. In 2-5 years she sees herself still working at BAH as a mid-level senior developer. Want to learn more about how you can start your career as a full stack developer? Head over to www.sabio.la today! 

He did research on his own, attended info sessions and reached out to people who had gone through the program. After doing this research he decided to take the leap and dive into the coding bootcamp with hopes that this certification would lead to the career he was looking for. When asked about what he learned. He talked about how he had to relearn how to learn. When you are in school you study and regurgitate the information to pass test or show your understanding. In Sabio’s coding program you learn by doing and making mistakes is part of the process. When you make a mistake you can learn how and why your mistake was wrong allowing you to be a better coder. It is a different way of learning.He also touched on how his experience being in a cohort allowed him to work on communication. There were tasks needed to be done but it was a team effort. You had to reach out to others when you got stuck or communicate with them on their timeline. It gave him a chance to use the skills he learned while also learning how to be part of a team working to complete a project. Last week, Clay talked more in depth about the cohort project and the work being done. You can check out that interview here. When Meri graduated from Sabio’s coding bootcamp. He hit the floor running. He knew he would have to put in a lot of work to find a career. And he felt a time crunch as he needed his next paycheck. Luckily, he found a career at Amazon in the Amazon Web Service. It took a lot of interviews and networking to find this career. He talked about the importance of preparing for an interview. And how important it is to find the right company for you. It is just as important that the company you work for to be the right place for you, not just you being the right person for them. Amazon has 14 leadership principles and it is incorporated into everything they do. And if you want to work at Amazon, not only do you need to know these leadership principles, you need to understand how you fit into these principles. It will be easy for you to know if Amazon is the right company for you. It also gives you a road map on how to move forward in your career at Amazon. Although Meri is very happy at Amazon. He also has dreams of one day starting his own tech company. He thinks most software engineers have this underlining dream. So maybe someday, but right now he is working hard at Amazon. Gaining tools that he can use in the future not only to be the best software engineer at Amazon but with hopes of maybe one day starting his own. Want to take your first step in a career in Software Engineering? Learn more about how Sabio can help you get there. Head over to www.sabio.la today

Clayvis's career in the Marine Corps as a Satellite Technician meant he was involved in tech but he wasn’t connected to coding. He had taken a coding class in high school but most of what he learned was long forgotten. He started looking at Sabio School of Software and Engineering when a friend who was going through the program recommended it. He trusted his friend because he knew he had done a lot of research. But also did his own research via google learning about Sabio and jobs as a Software Engineer. He also attended an info session and thought Sabio was the right fit for him.Getting plugged into Sabio’s Coding Bootcamp was pretty seamless. He was able to use his GI Bill benefits and get the resources he needed so he could start once he left the military. He talked about not only learning a lot during the Coding Bootcamp but also about the cohort project that he got to be a part of. Collecting election demographics for a website to help hispanics be more informed with voting. Completing that project and being able to showcase it not only in his resume but also to his family and friends was really exciting. When he got the green light to apply for jobs he started sending out applications. Hoping for a response. But he did not have any luck. He was able to use the resources provided by Sabio through their Tech Recruiters along with Sabio Alumni who were able to help him tweak his resume and get it in front of the right people, eventually landing him a career with Amazon. One important tip he talked about for preparing for interviews is the STAR method. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result. He was able to share about the work he did both in the military and at Sabio for interviews using this method. It was easy to stay focused and to explain not only the work he did but how it impacted the company or the mission. Clayvis is excited about the future. Working at Amazon is exciting and he hopes to continue to learn and grow but his future goal is to follow in the footsteps of other Sabio graduates and starting his own tech startup. He knows it is possible because other graduates have done it. And being connected to the Sabio community has allowed him to dream of the future when he can start his own Tech Startup someday.Want to learn hot to begin your journey to become a Software Engineer? Head over to www.sabio.la to learn more

Janessa served in the Army as a human intelligence career field. When she left the military she got a job with L3Harris utilizing her Top Secret Clearance. She was working with L3Harris until she had to follow her husband’s career to Hawaii. When she moved to Hawaii the first time remote work wasn’t as popular so she started a career as a consultant. But she wanted to be part of a team and was looking for a recruiting job. She had actually started a career with a different company but knew early on it wasn’t the right fit for her. She got a call from Liliana (co-founder and CEO of Sabio) and by the end of the second interview she knew it was the right place for her. And the fact that it is 100% remote and allows her to move with her as her family moves across the country means that it isn’t a short term job but a career. She left the job she had started and began her career at Sabio. She loves working at Sabio because the community of people she gets to work with are amazing. From the staff who work directly with the students, the leadership and the other tech recruiters. She also loves that she is giving back to the veteran community. Every time she helps someone find a new job she celebrates with them by sharing their good news on her LinkedIn profile. Sabio School of Software and Engineering not only provides a great education in their seventeen week coding bootcamp. But they also provide support when you graduate to help you find your next career. As a tech recruiter, Janessa helps review resumes, do mock interviews, and search for job opportunities. All helping to make the transition out of graduating from Sabio’s bootcamp and finding your next career even easier. Want to learn more about Sabio Coding Bootcamp? Head over to their website www.sabio.la to learn more.

Want to start your coding your career? Learn more at www.sabio.laHe learned about Sabio through the Veteran and Technology Program. It was listed as one of the schools. He looked at the reviews and learned more about Sabio and it sounded like a great school and the right fit for him. So, he decided to sign up for Sabio’s Coding Bootcamp. He knew it would be a challenge and fast paced. But after a career in the Marine Corps he knew he was ready for the program.Sabio’s Coding Bootcamp isn’t easy, but you get to use the information that you have learned. They have an amazing staff and students. Along with learning to code and being prepared for his new career he met great people some he is still connected with today.After graduating from Sabio’s program it took a lot of rejections and failed attempts to start his new career. He even made it to being one of the final two candidates and the other person who was selected was actually also a Sabio graduate. But it only takes one yes to start that new career and he found his new career at United Health Group at a sub company called Nava HealthEven though it was challenging to find a new job. His family kept him going. He needed to be able to provide for his family. He had already put so much time and energy into starting his new career in software engineering he couldn’t give up.He is very happy in his new role at United Health Group’s sub company Nava Health. He loved the flexibility of being able to work from home. His role is completely remote and was one of the things he was looking for so he could be there for his family. He is currently working on a tool in the new language PowerShell that he will be presenting to his leadership over the next few months and then will be tasked to maintain and update the company wide tool he created.He also finds ways to give back to others who have graduated from the Sabio Bootcamp Program. He has helped be a reference for approximately 150 graduates looking for their next career. He also regularly posts job openings within United Health Group in the Sabio graduate group to help graduates know about the opportunities available.We also talked about the importance and value of networking. If you apply to a job through a standard application link it often goes into a pool and it is harder to stand out. But if you know someone who works within a company they can help get your application past this first stage and in the hands of the hiring manager making it easier for you to get selected for the job opening.