VetTec Success Story, Pierre Launched Tech Career
February 12, 2021
The following was pulled from this article. All credit to Sabio Coding Bootcamp! ❤️
Starting off in the Marine Corps, Pierre is no stranger to a challenge, “I began mainly digging cable trenches and dealing primarily with telephones and voice protocol phones. But I was able to work with the administrators, learn what they did and ended up getting out of the Marine Corps as a system administrator. I did that for two years, but I was just getting bored with the whole aspect of maintaining things and waiting for stuff to break. I quit my job and went back to school, but started also looking for bootcamps that were covered by the GI Bill. That's how I found Sabio and after talking to Liliana Monge (Sabio's Co-Founder and CEO) I learned that through Vet Tec I could basically do the whole thing for free. I knew I had to take a chance and do it.”
However, it wasn’t just the price tag that got Pierre hooked, “One of my friends is friends with the owner of Hackreactor, so he really pushed me on that. But I got this feeling from Sabio that they really cared which I did not get from Hackreactor. At the Sabio orientation I met one of the instructors, Jack Nehme and I felt really comfortable working with him. The other big draw of Sabio was that you get hands on experience with real life projects. I didn’t know it then, but my cohort would end up working on a project for the city of Los Angeles which was really fortunate.”
Even though he didn’t know how to code, Pierre wasn’t nervous, “I think a lot of people believe that to be a good programmer you need to know math or be the smartest Harvard dropout like Zuckerberg, but that’s really not the case. Sabio takes folks who know little or no web application knowledge and turn them into professional developers. I mean, I love my job now and I’m making 50k more a year off the bat, this is like a dream come true to me. But it wasn’t simple, I definitely worked very hard and really wanted it. I think that’s pretty much key to being successful at Sabio, you’ve got to really put in your time and you’ll get out what you deserve.”
Despite the hard work, Pierre still had an amazing time, “My cohort was like a family. At Halloween everyone dressed up, it was great. I loved the people that I was next to. Everyone had the same dreams and aspirations of being a programmer which really propelled me forward. Everyone wanted to help each other and be the best coder. My instructor Brijesh Patel was amazing too and worked super hard. Our project had to be fully functional by the time we were done with it because the Demo was going to be turned around and put into use by the city. All of the instructors were great. Gregorio Rojas (Sabio’s Co-Founder and CFO) was a little tough on me, but I’m glad he was. That really pushed me to do the best that I could, he wanted me to be successful and that’s probably one of the reasons I got a job immediately. He pushed me to be a better programmer and have the best practices for coding, making me think about every line before I even put it on the screen. He’s definitely the best programmer I’ve ever seen.”
Before he even started applying for work, Pierre knew he was prepared for the job interview process, “One month out, you have an initial interview just to see where you are. If you’re working hard, you should be able to pass. But then, you have more interviews towards the end that are more intense. My interview with Gregorio was a real challenge which really helped me out. He’d keep prodding me in areas that you’d really have to know what you’re talking about before you speak. Also, in our cohort we had job prep boards with questions and answers that we would go over multiple times. As a group we would quiz ourselves and I made flash cards, all around Sabio helps you with the interview prep a lot.”
Pierre also made sure to pass on a special tip to veterans, “There’s a job board at Sabio, where alumni post new jobs and you can get referrals. I had a big leg up because my military clearance is still active, which isn’t uncommon. For people taking the Vettec program that are fresh out of the Marine Corps or any branch of service, this is very valuable. Companies don’t want to pay to teach a civilian how to go through the screening process, it takes a lot of money. You have to go through the background check, references check, someone will physically knock on your references door. That’s a huge thing for government jobs, and there are so many of them in the US, it’s crazy. Employers want people from the military, not only because of the clearance, but we also have a certain aspect to us. We’re tough, ready to learn and have leadership skills. We’ll come to work 15 minutes early and be the last to leave. There are definitely more than enough jobs for military personnel, veterans and reservists in the tech field.”
Now a share point developer with Loyal Source Government Services, Pierre is excited for his future, “I would love to get to a point where I’m leading developers or even starting my own software company. I feel like Sabio made me more set in my career goals and what I really wanted in life. Seeing the outcome of this program, I was able to get a salary that was so much higher than I ever thought I would get, and that’s just baseline. When I realized that…wow. That is something that really changed my life. I’m way more career oriented now and serious about my life thanks to Sabio.”
“I’m making 50k more a year from my last serious job,” Pierre continued. “That’s very significant. I’m from Michigan and we don’t make that kind of money. When I got that job offer, I almost didn’t believe it was happening until I got to my desk and started coding. I’m still speechless, I can’t believe I’m really here.”
For those interested in Sabio, Pierre has some advice, “If you’re thinking about joining and reading this article, you should know that Gregorio and the instructors will always take care of you. You should definitely give Sabio a chance. If you really put in your time, you will find success for sure. And if you’re interested in learning to code, get started now. Don’t wait. Start with something simple and see where it takes you. There are so many free resources out there, you just have to remember to stay dedicated. I know I keep saying it, but when you go to Sabio, you will get what you put in. I wasn’t the best programmer when I started, but I was really hungry, I really wanted it. Thanks to Sabio, I was able to make it all happen.”
For more information about Vettec and other Veteran programs: https://sabio.la/gi
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Written by Sassy Mohen