Switching To A Career In Tech - with Autotelic Ltd.

Our careers are crucial to the quality of our lives. Car and mortgage payments, the kids' education and the funds we need to set aside for retirement are just some of the things that are dependent on the type of work we do. However, money is not the only marker of a great career. Passion, professional growth and job stability, and work arrangements that align with our complex adult lives are other things which define a rewarding career. The average adult will spend about a third of their lives at their jobs. We must find joy and fulfillment in an activity that takes up quite a significant portion of our lives.

For the second edition of our Hiring Partner spotlight, we spoke to Ed, Meghan and Alex of Autotelic Development Ltd. about the journey to an optimal career and the systems necessary to ensure that young developers thrive in their new jobs.

An Environment Conducive To Professional Growth And Development

Autotelic Development Ltd is a full-stack software and consultancy company. Edward Stone, the Chief Executive Officer, believes in providing young developers with the systems, structures and mentorship necessary for their long-term career success. Autotelic began its journey with Career Services at Lighthouse Labs after an early employee who was also a Lighthouse Labs alumni put him in contact with the team, and now has ten Lighthouse Labs employees on its team of developers. With an extensive history of hiring Bootcamp grads, the company has leveraged that wealth of experience and feedback to help structure the onboarding and mentorship programs for its new hires. We asked him to describe the onboarding process at Autotelic:

“We have a reasonably comprehensive initial setup document. Employees are provided with a new laptop and then can work through installations and tool configuration. We assign them to a project and get them setup - our DX for project setup is also generally pretty good, so they should be running everything locally for the project that first day. Then we assign them a "starter" ticket. In addition they will have a go-to person to help them if they have questions and our culture invites seeking help on e.g. slack.”

As a Bootcamp graduate, your first role will be pivotal to establishing your career in tech. On-the-job learning through starter projects and mentorship is crucial at Autotelic as it helps bridge the gap in graduates' knowledge in terms of familiarity with tech stack, workflows, and collaboration techniques, as well as aligning the new employees with the work culture within the organization.

Because the market for highly-qualified tech professionals is so competitive, Ed stresses the importance of creating a conducive and friendly environment for new developers because he recognizes that ultimately they will become brand ambassadors to the organization. Their testimonials to their wider network will help in the future recruitment of talent.

Interested in hiring our bootcamp graduates? Visit our employers page to see our growing list of employers and contact our Career Services team.

The Journey To An Optimal Career In Tech

Alex Hauka and Meghan Hein are alumni of Lighthouse Labs who now work full-time as Stack Web Developers, and their journeys to a career in tech began for similar reasons. Alex, who worked in the film industry and as a classical musician, started his journey when the pandemic put a pause to the degree he was pursuing in music therapy. Initially, he began coding as a hobby, but when the pandemic continued to delay his program, he decided he needed job stability and financial security. He chose the Bootcamp route because it was the quickest and most efficient way to switch careers. After getting recommendations from his friends and downloading the Lighthouse Labs Student Outcomes Report, he became intrigued and ultimately enrolled in the Lighthouse Labs Web Development Bootcamp.

On the other hand, Meghan worked in marine conservation and the hospitality industry before the desire for job stability, security and remote work opportunities caused her to switch. Time and money were significant considerations in her choice of going the Bootcamp route, as well as preferring an immersive approach to learning and rapid acceleration into a new career. She also wanted to attend a Canadian Bootcamp and ultimately decided on Lighthouse Labs when she did her research and resonated with the outline of what to expect.

Achievement Unlocked!

After Bootcamp, an experience he found enjoyable with an industry-aligned curriculum and knowledgeable instructors, Alex got his role at Autotelic with the help of Meri Ghazaryan from the Lighthouse Labs Career Services team. Meghan, too, was able to secure her job post-Bootcamp with the team's help.

We asked them what they enjoyed most about having a career in tech:

Meghan: "All of the things I was originally looking for: stability, job security, remote opportunities."

Alex: "Solving puzzles every day, having the freedom to work wherever I want, and being free from the crushing burden of poverty in this late-stage capitalistic society."

The tech industry is dynamic and continuously changing. We asked Alex and Meghan what they did to ensure they kept their skills up-to-date with market trends.

Meghan: "Collaborating with colleagues and constantly researching new ways to up skill. I build side projects off my desk in new languages and push myself to use new libraries and tools available."

Alex: "I'm fortunate to work at a company that's not just unafraid of trying new tech, but actively pursues it. On every project we look for new tools to get the job done and share our experiences with each other."

Advice To Prospective Students

We asked Meghan and Alex what their advice would be for people looking to replicate their journey and transition to a career in tech, and they both had great bits of wisdom to share:

MEGHAN: "The world of tech is booming, so there are a lot of opportunities - but, it won't answer all your problems and you need to have a passion for it - it's still a job and can be a bit lonely at times spending so much time in front of a computer. On a positive note, It's incredibly empowering to be able to create and build technology that has real world impact. The tech sector is fast-paced and there are so many ways to grow and continue learning, so it never gets old."

ALEX: "Be sure you enjoy the work! I dropped out of school, sold my beloved car along with most of my worldly possessions, and pooled all of my resources to afford the transition. Those are big gambles, but I was absolutely certain it was the right choice for me. If it hadn't been, that would've been devastating."

And we will leave the last word to Edward with his insightful advice for fresh bootcamp graduates about to begin their first role in tech:

Edward: "Listen, learn, write things down if you need to. Don't be fazed by the fact there is so much to know. Don't be afraid to ask questions - but make sure you've done at least a bit of research first! Respect other people's time and they will respect yours and your questions."

Missed our first feature? Click here to read the Hiring Partner spotlight with the team at Pixeltree Inc.

IT'S TIME TO REWRITE YOUR STORY

While Autotelic has a remote-first work policy, Alex and Meghan can choose whatever routines work for them. Their journeys are inspirational. They took the courageous step of chasing their ideal careers and are now working at jobs they love with a company that appreciates the importance of having a conducive environment where young developers can thrive and grow in their careers.

With the Information and Communications Technology Council estimating that the Canadian Tech industry will need to fill approx 250,000 tech jobs over the next three years, now is the best time to begin your journey to a career in tech.

Ready to begin your journey to a career as a Web Developer? Download the Web Development curriculum here, or click the button below to visit our program page and see which of our Programs is right for you!

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