From learning to code at Sabio, to Tech Consultant at Booz Allen

Chris: I was completely computer illiterate coming into this program. If I can get in, learn how all this works, I guarantee you could.

Prior to Sabio I started my career in the Navy as an avionics technician. After four years doing that left and became a medical technician and then industrial and nuclear technician.

Q: How much coding experience did you have before Sabio?

Chris: I was completely computer illiterate coming into this program. I couldn't navigate my file explorer before I entered this program. I was one of those people who would go and save a document and then couldn't find it. I didn't know where it went, it was just magic. If I can get in, learn how all this works, I guarantee you could. I didn't grow up with computers, it was a completely new world to me. I had the logic, I just didn't know how to use anything.

Q: How did you hear about Sabio Coding Bootcamp?

Chris: I have a brother-in-law who is a senior developer, and he started teaching me some coding stuff while I was in the nuclear industry. I started enjoying it and was looking for a way other than a four year degree then I could kind of get into this field. So actually google led me to Sabio.

Q: What was your experience like at Sabio?

Chris: I was in the seventeen week program, going through the program I found it challenging but everything came together typically after the fact. The sections I struggled with the most were definitely React. I definitely had a harder time with react then the back end or database work.

Q: What was the interview process like?

Chris: I know I put in well over a thousand applications, out of that maybe thirty, forty, interviews? Even after I took my job they just kept coming, I'm still getting calls for interviews now and that seems to be the key, just putting out a lot of applications. I never took any rejection letters personally, it is what it is, you're gonna get them. Something I liked to do was just ask based on this interview, what would be the reason I did not get the job? That basically put me in a boat of having a company look at me and saying you know, we need a junior guy that we can train up and work with, train him in our code base and everything. I'm working with a fellow junior developer in my current job, definitely I have a better understanding of code than they do by a lot. Sabio has more than prepared you for a junior level position, even definitely in the mid-level tier to higher tier.

Q: How does Sabio help you get a job?

Chris: I work for Booz-Allen-Hamilton, the interview process was pretty straight forward, the reason it went really well is because from the beginning I kinda controlled how the flow went. Obviously we started off, greetings and everything, and asked me about my experience, and from there I just kinda took it, directed the conversation to everything that I had done at Sabio. Talked about developing the database, building it out, building the web API's in C#, building the components in React, and why we used it, and I kinda controlled the flow of the conversation and was able to hit on a lot of points very quickly. I mean it was everything I did know and had learned up until that point. They were impressed, it went really well.

Q: What was your initial salary offer at Booz Allen?

Chris: Booze-Allen, they came in with sixty, I negotiated up to seventy, I got a five thousand dollar bonus, five thousand dollar move expense, with benefits and everything. It wasn't supposed to be remote, we show up once a week on-site and the rest of the week we're not. Very well may in the near future be fully remote.

Q: Are you happy with your new career?

Chris: 100%, it's one of the best jobs I've ever had. I like building, I like putting thing together, I like solving puzzles, software engineering is just puzzle after puzzle all day long. I find it very satisfying, thought I might burn out on it after doing it so long and so often at Sabio, but I just never did.

Q: What advice do you have for current Sabio students?

Chris: It is an intense program, but if you really buckle down I don't see any reason you won't get through it, but I know it does get frustrating at times. Especially when you have a question that you can't even figure out how to ask it, that's gonna be your career. I mean in my job right now I have questions every single day, but it doesn't really frighten me anymore because I know I can google it. there's always going to be somebody that knows, so it's just up to you to kinda put in the initial leg work just to try to figure it out, and if you can't then try to figure out who does know it. There's always going to be somebody around more experienced that can help guide you. Just don't get discouraged!