Military ServiceSoftware Engineer
Unverified. Submitted, nothing checked.3 yr 4 mo total7 stepsSubmitter 4
EducationWorkResearch & projectsMoveApplications & outreachFinancialPivotSetback
Starting conditions
- Institution
- Non-target University
- Major
- Self-taught
- GPA band
- below-2.5
- Graduated
- 2016
- Location
- United Kingdom
- No professional network
- Started late
Limited exposure to the destination field at the start.
The sequence7 steps
- Certification8 mo
Used tuition assistance for cloud certifications
Used tuition assistance for cloud certifications. This took 8 months and was slower than expected.
Start this earlier than feels necessary.
- Coursework1 yr
Worked through a structured CS curriculum after hours
- Relocation1 moPivotal
Relocated for a lower cost of living while job searching
Relocated for a lower cost of living while job searching. This took 1 months and was harder than expected.
- Application6 moPivotal
First application round — 120 applications
First application round — 120 applications. This took 6 months and was slower than expected.
- Networking2 moPivotal
Joined a veterans-in-tech mentorship program
Joined a veterans-in-tech mentorship program. This took 2 months and was harder than expected.
- Job1 mo
Started as a software engineer
Started as a software engineer. This took 1 months and was slower than expected.
Evidence for this step
Outcome
Software engineer offer
Defense contractor
Reflection
Would repeat
- Starting the outreach earlier than felt comfortable.
Would skip
- The first application cycle, which I entered underprepared.
Biggest obstacle
Having no contacts in the field, which made every early step slower than it needed to be.
What was luck
- One person answered a cold email who did not have to.
Estimated cost: Roughly $22,000 across the whole transition.