How I Became a Backend Engineer

Switching careers isn’t easy, especially when you’re already established in a stable field. It takes courage to set aside years of experience, start fresh, and dive into something entirely new. Even more so if it means learning an entirely different skill set!

But sometimes, the desire for growth and challenge outweighs the comfort of staying put.

Let me tell you about one of our students who did exactly this.

Meet Nick

Hi, my name is Nick Abate and I’m currently working as a remote Backend Software Engineer under a global team of developers at LUSH, who operates retail and online e-commerce operations worldwide.

I’ve been working at LUSH for almost a year and a half now.

As part of my day-to-day responsibilities, I work on building new, (or improving upon), various pieces of scalable software under a service oriented architecture (SOA) design approach.

What did you do before you got your current job/new position?

Before working as a software engineer, I worked as a designated Chartered Professional Accountant at Deloitte and other accounting roles.

I had wanted to change careers for years, and I figured software would help me work on a more global scale.

What was the goal or outcome you were hoping for from ZTM?

Two things:

1. To learn to code fully
2. And to get hired

I figured that Web Development would be a great jumping in point, so I tried various platforms like Codecademy and courses from Udemy, but I found that they were lacking up to date resources and had non-existent community support.

After that didn’t pay off, I decided to try a traditional 3 month full-time bootcamp, but found that I wasn’t able to dive deep enough into content and take away the insights and skills I would need in order to land a new career.

Editors note: This is a common issue that we see with other courses, and sometimes with bootcamps. They teach the basics and make you feel good but don't actually go deep enough or push you hard enough to BUILD your own projects to gain confidence you need. Or worse, they teach you outdated topics, techniques, and/or tools.

I learned a lot but I realized that there are always skills to pick up or improve on which led me to search for courses which are constantly updated with current tech and tools.

I found ZTM and it looked perfect for my needs. In fact, it’s because of the work I did here that I finally got my job in Software Engineering!

What were the biggest hesitations and doubts you had before deciding to join ZTM?

Like I said before, I had tried other online methods but I think the main reason they failed was the lack of community and updates.

After seeing some of the instructors with their credentials and experience, I knew I would be in great hands with ZTM and their course curriculum.

Editors note: We update each course every year - sometimes multiple times if something important changes, so you always have up to date information. Not only that, but our instructors work in the tech industry, so they focus on the most important skills to learn.

Did you have any issues after you joined?

If there were ever times where I was really stumped on a problem or had some follow up questions, they would be answered quickly enough by some of the great members of the Discord community.

It’s hard to find a network of people who are undergoing the same journey as you, and are willing to support you, but I 100% had that here.

I’ll be honest though, there weren't many issues. The instructors do a great job of keeping the content engaging with very easy to follow instruction.

Videos are broken up into bite sized segments with relevant resources provided for each which makes it super easy to follow along and get the most learning out of the content.

What ZTM courses have you taken? How did each course specifically help you in your process to getting hired?

Some of my favorite courses were:

• The Complete Junior to Senior Web Developer Roadmap
• Complete React Developer, and
• Complete SQL + Databases Bootcamp

By expanding my knowledge in both frontend and backend web development, I was able to show enough competencies to ace my technical interview challenge and secure my current role.

That being said, I love learning so I’ve also taken:

• Data Structures & Algorithms
• System Design & Architecture
• Complete Node.js Developer
• TypeScript Bootcamp
• And more!

The greatest value in ZTM is that content is constantly updated, and the course catalogue is continuously growing which helps fulfill my desire to keep learning!

How long did each course take you to complete?

I found that courses could take anywhere from 2 weeks to two months from start to finish. (As some are longer than others).

Also, it really depended on if I had time during the week or if the courses were completed mainly at night.

What steps did you take to get hired and what helped you the most actually to get your job offer?

I started applying early, and tried to balance my daily learning with steadily applying for jobs seeking individuals with under 3 years of experience.

While I did receive a few interviews, I ultimately landed my current role due to my portfolio projects and showcasing my commitment to growth and learning thanks to my ZTM certificates.

Now that you have your new position, how do you feel?

Changing careers at a later point was a calculated but scary risk, but I couldn’t be happier that I made the jump and get to now work in such an incredible, ever evolving field of work.

The online engineering community, the work I do, and the people I work alongside with all add to it. I'll be honest though, the remote work is also a huge benefit to my quality of life!

So yeah... I'm so glad I did this and highly recommend it. You never know what rewards are waiting for you after investing the time in yourself to grow!

Is there a big difference in earnings in this new role from what you made before?

My starting salary was much higher than what would have been comparable in my former field of accounting. While I’m still relatively new in the field, I know the potential for earnings will only increase at a much higher rate than the field of work I did before!

What advice would you give other students who may have been in your position and are now considering joining the ZTM Academy?

Stay consistent and on top of your game if you really want to make a change to better your life. Things may get hard but with a community to support you and almost unlimited resources at hand, success is within your reach.

So what are you waiting for? Take the next step in your career today!

Thinking of starting a career in Software Engineering, but not sure where to start?

Well, why not take the exact same courses as Nick?

Once you join, you have access to every course in the Zero To Mastery Academy library, so that’s every course in this article and many more.

Not only that, but you’ll also get access to the ZTM private Discord community, where you can ask questions from your course teachers and chat with other students, working Software Engineering professionals, and freelancers!

It’s never too late to start a new career. There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain, so get started today.