TeacherSoftware Engineer
Self-attested. The author confirmed their identity to us. The content itself is unchecked.Starting conditions
- Institution
- Regional Public University
- Major
- Education
- GPA band
- 3.8-4.0
- Graduated
- 2020
- Location
- Austin, United States
- Caregiving responsibilities
The sequence6 steps
- Financial11 mo
Saved a nine-month runway before leaving teaching
Saved a nine-month runway before leaving teaching. This took 11 months and was slower than expected.
- Project11 moPivotal
Built classroom tools that real teachers used
Built classroom tools that real teachers used. This took 11 months and was slower than expected.
- Setback6 moPivotal
Left teaching before securing a role; four months without income
Left teaching before securing a role; four months without income. This took 6 months and was harder than expected.
Evidence for this stepObstacle
The plan stalled here, and it was not obvious it would recover.
How it was resolved
Asked the people who rejected me what the specific disqualifier was, then fixed exactly that instead of everything at once.
- Application6 moPivotal
Applied to education technology companies specifically
Applied to education technology companies specifically. This took 6 months and was slower than expected.
- Job4 mo
Started as a software engineer
Started as a software engineer. This took 4 months and was harder than expected.
Evidence for this step
Outcome
Junior developer offer
Reflection
Would repeat
- Starting the outreach earlier than felt comfortable.
Would skip
- The first application cycle, which I entered underprepared.
Biggest obstacle
Underestimating how long the prerequisite work would take alongside everything else.
What was luck
- One person answered a cold email who did not have to.
Estimated cost: Roughly $27,000 across the whole transition.