After Learning to Code at Sabio, Greg is now a Software Engineer at First Tee

Greg:

Of course, I think in today's age a degree matters. But when it comes to being a software engineer, if you have the skills and in the interview process, if you know exactly what you're talking about, they can't deny you from the job because you don't have a degree. 

So I started my career in the United States Navy. I did some project management, and then during that process, I was like, I want to learn how to code because I started my own business. I wanted to do things like virtual reality test pieces, so I didn't have any idea how to do that. So I was like, Well, let me learn the basics of coding. So that's when I stumbled across Sabio and was like, Oh yeah, this would be perfect. 

Q: Did you ever hit any roadblocks at Sabio and, if so, how did you overcome them?

Greg:

Initially, trust me, it’s a struggle. But I'm telling you, if you stick with it, if you continuously use the 12 hours that they give you as much as you possibly can, you will, you're going to learn it.

Q: During the job search process, what kept you motivated?

Greg:

The program does a great job of keeping you routinely motivated through the process because you're learning at the same time, you’ll still be able to talk to instructors, you have mock interviews. So there's a lot of things in that process that just kept me motivated.

Q: Was your lack of experience an issue during job interviews?

Greg:

No, it wasn't an issue because of the way I kind of framed it. I would say I'm in the process of transitioning out of some “on-the-job training.” And I tell them that date, like in August, and, you know, right after that, that's when I would be available for hire. All right. So this, I guess, it’s just the way you frame things rather than saying, Hey, I just left bootcamp and I'm looking for a job right now, that's not gonna work. My last question always in every interview was, can you please give me feedback on how I did with the interview with you today? And you know, some of them were good, some of them were constructive, but I always wrote down the things that I needed to work on and improve on. 

Q: Where are you working now and what was the onboarding process like?

Greg:

I'm currently working at the PGA Tour's First Tee Foundation. It's a nonprofit branch of the PGA Tour. I thought I walked into a Google site when I had to first initially go to the office. They had this big global campus. Beautiful, great food. I mean, I mean, oh, my goodness, I was sold, man. I was sold. 

Q: What was the salary negotiation process like?

Greg:

They first threw 75 at me and then I doubled back and was like I can do 80 with a 5k signing bonus and I need like 20% annual bonus. So they were able to negotiate that just to show them that after a year I need to be like past that 90k to 100k threshold. 

Q: Did you ever have imposter syndrome?

Greg:

I wouldn't call it – I was nervous. I don't know about imposter syndrome because as a developer you're always learning. When I came into First Tee, I let it be known that I'm familiar with the current stack, but I have to learn new things to fulfill the job requirement.

Q: Were there any resources to help you learn the  languages and the stack at your job?

Greg:

Salesforce has its own kind of modules. They call it Trailmix, where you can get badges associated with Apex programming triggers and really learn the full concept and interfaces of Salesforce. You know, when you finish with Sabio, if you're able to tap into that, that's definitely a great opportunity because you're learning kind of like the same systems and interfaces with different languages.

The stack that you're currently working with, with Sabio, transitions well with any other stack that you may use in the industry. There's no limits to after Sabio what you can do now that you have kind of like the fundamentals of coding and being a developer. So you have all the tools you need. Now you can go out there and be great.