Learning to code so that you can land a job in tech can feel daunting. That’s why we’re sharing inspiring stories from Codecademy’s community — to show how people like you (yes, you!) can embark on a learning journey and end up with a totally new career. We hope these stories serve as a reminder that there’s no single path to a more fulfilling work life.

Today’s story is from Jovanay Carter, a 28-year-old former tech recruiter turned Dev Difference co-founder living in Chicago, IL. Read more stories from Codecademy learners here — and be sure to share your story here.

Why I chose to learn to code

“I studied anthropology in college. I really like studying people and culture. I got into recruiting after because that was a direct application of what I had learned. But I had a lot of friends who were in tech. They were in either engineering or product at Microsoft and Google, and I just really admired them. I took one coding class in college and I enjoyed it. It was an interactive design class. I wish I had taken more classes like that.

When I was thinking about my career choices, I thought about the fact that I really enjoyed that coding class in college. ‘Why don’t I just try to figure out how to code?’ So, I started learning how to code on Codecademy. The first course I took was Intro to JavaScript.

My initial thought before I even became a recruiter in tech was, ‘I’m going to go to a bootcamp and learn how to code and be a Software Engineer.’ Simple as that. My career as a tech recruiter helped me learn more about the field and solidified my interest in learning to code. I even did a brief stint as a tech recruiter at Codecademy!”

How I made time to learn

“I think finding time to do projects is an easier mindset than finding time to learn. You may complete a course but realize you still don’t feel confident in it. I started shifting my mindset from ‘I want to go through another course’ to ‘let me build something and see how it goes’. ‘Let’s see if I can build something from scratch.’ 

I worked on small projects and also relied on friends, who are now my co-founders, to hold office hours with me once every two weeks. This helped to hold me accountable, and I practiced coding with them.”

How I saved up money to switch careers

“I ended up getting laid off from a tech recruiting gig so I was fortunate to receive a severance. I used that money to go to grad school. I’m now working on getting my Master’s in computer science at The University of Chicago, although I’m learning that I may like UI/UX more than coding.”

How I put my skills to use

“As a tech recruiter, I saw many cases where people were right on the edge, but they didn’t get the job just because they needed more preparation for their interview and to communicate their value a bit better. I saw a real opportunity to use AI to help candidates better articulate themselves and practice for interviews.

I think it was something like 56% of students who come out of undergrad are not in a job in their major, and it basically increases their chances of being underemployed for the next 10 years of their life. I wanted to create something that would hopefully help them be better prepared for interviews, communicate themselves better, and be more confident in themselves.

I brought this idea to a pitch competition, and it got a lot of traction. We won the competition, and I was like ‘Wow, this could be real!’ From there, the Dev Difference was born, a startup I co-founded with my two brilliant friends, Moyosore Okeremi and Jolene Bernagene.”

Do you want to practice your interviewing skills?  Check out Codecademy’s interview simulator.

What I wish I knew before I started learning

“I wish I knew that there were so many different things you could do in tech — you don’t have to be a coder. I really wanted the lifestyle of being in tech, but I was like, I must learn data structures and algorithms in order to do that.

And I wish I would have like been like, ‘OK, I love designing. Maybe there’s something there,’ and honed in on that skill earlier, as opposed to just dragging myself through these very hard courses to feel like a confident coder. Because I did that just to come right back to the fact that I enjoy design.

There’s so much more than just being a software engineer.”

Not sure where to start? Check out our personality quiz! We’ll help you find the best programming language to learn based on your strengths and interests.

Want to share your Codecademy learner story? Drop us a line here. And don’t forget to join the discussions in our community.