sasha-ali

sashaali·Sep 19, 2023

Hi everyone, my name is Sasha! I have been working in the arts and culture sector for the last 15+ years (including museums, radio, and government funded public art). I have a solid background in communications, creative producing, and facilitating collaborations--however, I'm trying to figure out how to chart a new direction for myself in tech. I have many years of work experience, but I'm having a difficult time understanding whether my experience is transferable. I am unsure of the best next move: do I further my skills thru a costly bootcamp (project management, UX, or technical writing) or work with a career coach to get more guidance on what direction to take based on existing skills?

I have been thinking about all this for a while, but I had a baby last year and am finally able to concentrate on making a career transition. I would love to hear this community's thoughts, also excited to chat with anyone who would be willing to do an informational interview.

OctaviaRomano·Sep 19, 2023

Hi Sasha, I transitioned into tech (design) while having extensive experience in the arts and education. Happy to chat more if you want!

sashaali·Sep 19, 2023

Hi Octavia, I would love to chat! What’s the best way to get in touch?

OctaviaRomano·Sep 19, 2023

You can send me a DM here or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/octaviaromano

Tineke·Sep 20, 2023

Hi SashaI think that before you commit you need to have a number of conversations first. It's great that you're already getting offers to chat from people here, who've made that transition. I would also recommend to start talking to people in the tech sector. Do you know anyone? Can you expand your network (2nd connections on LinkedIn are a great start) to include people who are working in the area that currently interests you? Go and talk to them. Find out to what extent your skills are transferrable to the tech sector. Also, find out what the day-to-day work involves! Because you want to get clear if it's for you, as much as finding out what you need to do to get there! That would be my recommendation if I was your career coach ;)

annamiller·Sep 21, 2023

I second the answer about havibg conversations w people in different roles so you can understand the work itself and start building a network. Your connections from art abd culture can help you too! So dont forget to checkin w them and see how they can help. Once you have a target role in mind, a career coach can support you with the job search if you want extra accountability and instruction on the job search skills like interviews.

sarahing·Sep 22, 2023

Hey Sasha! First thing, it's great that you posted here to get more opinions. When I decided to do a coding bootcamp 10 years ago I asked soooo many questions and talked to a ton of engineers. More than the how (bootcamp or coach), what about focusing on the what. What do you want to accomplish? And why? Happy to talk you through this and share my experience (english major to 10 years in software engineering and management, now coach!)sarahingcoaching.com <-- you can book here!Sarah

beckystephens7·Sep 27, 2023

Career coaching has really helped me but more than that, sitting down with people (virtually) building a network, understanding what people do, speaking to people who have made the transition and taking on smaller projects. I use a lot https://meander.so/ to find relevant people who might be up for chatting.