From Construction To Coding: A ZTM Success Story

Imagine a scenario where you’re your own boss. The moneys good, you have customers and a team of people working for you, but you want a change.

Maybe you want less pressure or fewer hours, or maybe you just want to change your career to something you’ve always dreamed of.

Far too many people get stuck in their current situation and assume they can’t change it. The fact is, you can adjust the trajectory of your life if you simply take action. That’s what one of our students did…

Meet Jiel

Hi, my name is Jiel (like Kyle but with a J) and I’m a Software Engineer for a company in Toronto.

Jiel posted about his new role over in the ZTM Discord, and after reading what he shared, we just knew we had to chat with him.

Keep reading to find out how this all happened.

What did you do before you became a Software Engineer?

I originally went to school to study law. I’m the oldest child and a first-generation Canadian, so there was a bit of family pressure to get a degree.

I wanted to set a good impression with my siblings and so I went but unfortunately, I only lasted for 2 years. I just didn’t enjoy the experience and so I left and started working in construction because it paid well and I knew people who did it already.

I was young when I started out but I knew I didn’t want to work in the physical labor side of construction for my whole life, so after a few years, I leveraged what I learned and set up my own company, selling materials instead.

It worked out really well and grew relatively quickly because I was a young man in an old man's business. A lot of the systems were old-school pen and paper and outdated, so I managed to pull ahead both by pushing online and by building relationships with employees at each company.

I ran the company for a few more years before selling it. It was a successful exit and so I decided to take my earnings from the sale and use them to chase my dreams and do what I had always wanted to do, which was to work with computers.

How did you start to learn to code?

I went back to school and studied for a 4 year Computer Science degree which was great. We covered a lot of theory but also application. Unfortunately, I graduated exactly at the same time as COVID started, which as you can imagine, made finding jobs quite difficult.

A lot of companies were not hiring or even laying people off to cut costs while they waited it out. Because of this, I decided to keep investing in myself and continued to learn more about programming. I wasn’t going to let this slow me down or discourage me because I knew if I kept at it, I would be in an even better position by the end of it all.

Then, I was scrolling through Linkedin one day and I saw Andrei’s post about the Node.js course with Adam Odziemkowski.

It was such a coincidence because both Andrei and Adam (the course creators) used to work with a mentor of mine at the same company!

My mentor has accomplished a lot in his career so I figured Andrei and Adam must know what they’re talking about and that this could be valuable material to learn, so I decided to check out Zero To Mastery. No joke, the same day that I started researching is the same day that I bought lifetime access.

The instructors are exceptional in teaching the material and going deep into the language and its nuances. The courses are well planned and give you great explanations of how things work under the hood; applying both the theory and application at the same time.

Editor's note: Because of this focus on getting you hired asap, we’ve had students get hired by FAANG and other companies in less than 6 months of learning to code from scratch!

(You can check out other success stories here. Anyways, back to Jiel’s story.)

It wasn’t just the job situation that made me want to learn more either. At school, I was learning a lot of theory and practice, but I was also learning low-level languages such as C++. This was great to get a better grasp of deeper theory, but I was eager to learn other languages and add them to my skill set.

I had covered Node.js in school but I wanted a refresh so I started with that course and branched out to new areas such as building APIs etc. In the past, I had mostly worked on front-end work, but I really enjoy back-end as I like logic.

Once I finished that recap, I noticed that almost all the employers in the Toronto area were looking for employees who knew React so I dove into the React course.

There were jobs available, and a huge community of users and it was easy to get support if I had any questions from either the ZTM React Discord channel or StackOverflow.

How did you get your new job as a Software Engineer?

Once I finished the React course and projects, I had a pretty good portfolio and started working at a consultancy helping with broad development projects. This could be helping build something from scratch, or even to improve or refactor their code base. I worked with Unity games engines, asp.net core, C#, etc.

The money was good but it was a lot of changing projects. It wasn’t a bad thing as the work was consistent and I got to learn a lot of new things across a lot of areas in development, but I wanted a change. I found I really shined with React after taking the ZTM course, and I knew my mentor’s company was doing well and scaling, so I shared my portfolio with them and pitched them on my coming onboard. I met with the CTO and landed my new role!

Editor's note: You don’t have to wait for companies to be actively hiring before you can get a role there. Sometimes they just haven’t gotten around to placing ads yet but would be open to a new hire if you pitch them. Or, you could even pitch your current company on creating new developer roles for you, which is exactly what another ZTM student did.

Did you have any difficulties once you joined ZTM?

Not at all. Everything was pretty straightforward. The courses are easy to work through and they all have an overview at the start so you can check if it's the right thing that you want to learn.

If I had any difficulty at all, it was listening to theory, just because no one enjoys that right! But you need to know it before you can do the work in the following lessons so I powered through. Honestly, this was rare also, as it was a pretty smooth process. With everything all on one platform, it was easy to jump around and see which courses complimented each other.

What was it like when you transitioned from construction to coding?

It was definitely a big transition and there were a few things that I wish I knew, or at least thought of more before I became a Software Engineer.

It’s a fantastic job and it pays well, but just be prepared to keep learning. When you first start out, you’re going to have to keep learning new libraries and platforms for your role. Then as you work for longer, you’ll have to also learn new developments so that you can stay relevant and on top of your game.

Eventually, you’ll find a routine where you’re learning as you go and compounding off what you’ve learned so far.

Editor's note: We just put together an in-depth guide on how to learn faster and more efficiently that you can check out also. Back to Jiel’s story.

It is 100% worthwhile to learn to code and get a career. Unlike some jobs though, it’s definitely a lifelong journey of learning and growth. Sure, you could get a job at some companies where they don’t pay as well and don't expect as much from you, but for the really serious cash, new job offers, and advancements, well that all come from actively staying on top of your game. Personally, I love to learn so it's the best job!

Was there a big difference in earnings between your old job and your new one?

Because I owned my own successful business in the past, the earnings were not that different but the lifestyle was a complete change.

I’m earning roughly the same while not having to show up at the office at 5:30 am, working weekends and late nights, or even having to do deliveries while an employee is sick, and taking order calls while driving the delivery truck!

It’s such a huge difference. Even with the extra learning time, there’s far less work involved, far less stress, and a great salary.

Do YOU want to start learning to code?

If you’re like Jiel and are looking to fill any knowledge gaps to skill up in your current role, transition to a new career, or even just get started learning to code, then you can check out the multiple courses we have here at ZTM. We have a whole selection ranging from coding, design, cyber security, ethical hacking, blockchain, and much more, as well as advanced advice on how to get hired, even without a degree!

Or if you’re not sure where to start, check out our custom career path quiz for some advice on where to start.