What 200 job applications taught this Re:Coded alumni

When Berk decided to switch careers at 27 years-old, he knew it wouldn't be easy. 

Berk grew in a small city in Türkiye called Kütahya and with a family of engineers, going into engineering seemed most natural career for him. It was only after seeing his older sister transition from HR to coding, with a Re:Coded bootcamp, that Berk was inspired to make a change.

Following in his sister's footsteps, Berk applied to the Backend Bootcamp and was accepted just last year. He was ready to turn in his career as a civil engineer for a job in tech.

Just the beginning

"The bootcamp was hard," Berk stated, reflecting many students' experiences when going through the intensive learning process of acquiring an entirely new skill set. "But it was not the hardest part of my journey."

Once Berk finished his Capstone project, a learn-by-doing assignment which is presented during the graduation ceremony, he was hot on the job search. He applied to every job where he could use his newfound development skills.

"I applied to more than 200 companies and it was a very rough part of the journey." Typically, 92% of Re:Coded alumni find employment within 6 months of graduating. But even with their new certification, finding junior roles can test any new developer's resolve.

"I was about to quit one or two times," Berk shared, "but the coaching sessions and Career Services didn't let me quit and I found this job."

Working with the Re:Coded Careers Services

"They taught me a lot of a lot of subjects," Berk says, reflecting, on the Backend Bootcamp, "API's databases, operating systems, and they teach us Linux terminal—I liked the Linux terminal a lot. That's why I'm trying to become a DevOps engineer."

And while he had found the niche he wanted to pursue during the bootcamp, making that a reality after graduation was a new challenge.

"The job search is hard, it's the hardest part," Berk says, "you don't know until you start your job search."

Luckily, as part of every bootcamp, Re:Coded offers additional career support post-graduation. "The most crucial part of this bootcamp is [the] career service." Berk asserts.

The Re:Coded Alumni Success Team works with fresh graduates, offering hands-on informational sessions around their job search like LinkedIn networking, building a solid CV, and portfolio preparation. Additionally, depending on the skillset and region, they are able to make introductions to employment partners.

They changed my perspective a lot. I feel so much more confident about evaluating my career.

Berk was inspired by the course material to become a DevOps engineer. And in a Q&A session organized by Alumni Success Team with a DevOps engineer, Berk was able to see what it would take to become a successful DevOps engineer.

"Now I have a career path." Berk says, reflecting on the structure that session gave him. Today, he's working as a QA Tester at Insider and well on his way toward becoming a DevOps engineer in the years to come.