Payroll Accountant Sandra Is Now a Back-end Programmer

Computers have fascinated Sandra since she was small. "Even as a little girl, I tried to make websites. I also used HTML and CSS to decorate my personal profiles on social networks made for kids," she recalls. "I’d always viewed IT people as incredible masterminds with superhuman skills,” she says, with a laugh. “It never occurred to me that I could become one of them. I thought they were a completely different caliber of people." 

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She’d wanted to serve and protect

Perhaps those misconceptions were the real reason Sandra chose a profession other than IT. After graduating from a business academy, she joined the police academy. "I knew some police officers from the neighborhood and I was always interested in their work. Moreover, my interests include psychology, sociology, security, and prevention; all of which are covered at the police academy," explains the Prague native.

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She enjoyed her studies. "At first, I thought I’d be able to work for the police force. Over time, however, I realized that job flexibility was very important to me. Which meant that the rigid hierarchy and strict regulations of the force were not a good fit for me," Sandra says, explaining why she decided to go elsewhere after completing her bachelor's degree. 

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Over the next few years, she tried her hand at working in several fields. "It gave me perspective. Whether I was setting up companies, handling orders, or managing the accounting,  I learned a lot with each role. I still use all those skills in my daily life," she says.

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Colleagues inspired her to become a programmer

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"The job required a lot of back and forth to the office and administration, and that just didn't suit me." 

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It was her previous job as a payroll accountant that marked a turning point in her life. "I was in charge of processing the employee payroll, communicating with institutions and employees, consulting, and HR matters," she says. "The job required a lot of back and forth to the office and administration, and that just didn't suit me." 

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On the other hand, the job had its plusses. "I’d never worked in the gaming industry before. Every conversation with colleagues was very interesting," Sandra reveals, adding that discussions with colleagues in the IT department were especially worthwhile. "I’d been fascinated with programming for a long time, but my experience and knowledge were very superficial.” Nevertheless, she became friends with the IT people. More and more frequently, she asked about what they were working on. "That's how I learned what the positions involved. From support, to operations, to testing, and developers. When I found out what their jobs actually entailed, I realized that they weren’t superhuman after all,” Sandra confides. “There was no reason I couldn't do the same job myself, and I was thrilled by the idea!"

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Now she’s a programmer too, thanks to bootcamp

At the time, she’d already taken several online Java courses. "I’d tried different online courses, but I never finished them because of work. I just didn’t have the time. I had a decent grasp of HTML and CSS, but it wasn't really usable in practice," she admits. "I kept jumping from one thing to another. In fact, as soon as I’d run into an issue that required more time to understand or practice, that’s usually when I'd quit."

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Nevertheless, the prospect of a new career strongly appealed to Sandra. "I’d been thinking about retraining for quite some time due to the lack of flexibility at work. Also, I just needed a change," she explains. At home, she kept rehashing the subject until her husband finally intervened. "One day while musing aloud that I should find a properly guided course, he told me about the Green Fox Academy bootcamp. At the time, he was also thinking about changing careers. He said it seemed like a good way to fully immerse oneself in programming," Sandra says. "It occurred to us that we could do it together," she adds with a laugh. And that’s just what they did. One week later, Sandra submitted her application for the on-campus, super-intensive Junior Developer Course. 

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"I expected the course to provide help and guidance as to what things I should focus on. I wanted to gain comprehensive knowledge so that I could actually program something," Sandra says. "I went to bootcamp fully intending to devote all my time and concentration to it. I was counting on a study plan, a large number of tasks to practice, help with questions, facilities, and a job placement,” she recalls. “I got everything I needed at Green Fox Academy. The course met all my expectations." 

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Sandra has a clear message for everyone. "Don't be afraid! Bootcamp is hard work, but it's worth it!" Thanks to her Green Fox Academy course, she became a junior programmer specializing in C# and the back end.

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"Within a month, I started as a ServiceNow Developer at Accenture, a big multinational company. Actually, we both succeeded. After 4.5 months, my husband and I both changed our careers and now we both work in IT"

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She’s keen on cyber security

Thanks to the bootcamp organizers, Sandra got her first job in IT very quickly. "Within a month, I started as a ServiceNow Developer at Accenture, a big multinational company. Actually, we both succeeded. After 4.5 months, my husband and I both changed our careers and now we both work in IT," she announces. "At my new job, I have much more flexibility during the day and I can work from home. When I work from home, I’m much more efficient and much happier. I also have time for all my leisure activities. Changing careers gave me exactly what I wanted. Not to mention, the salary and stability of the company are big plusses."

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Although Sandra has only been in IT for a short time, she already has big plans for the future. "One day, I’d like to do more work in cyber security. I'd like to combine my police academy education with programming," she shares. The avid runner, hiker and lover of books also reveals that she’d eventually like to move out of the city with her husband and four cats to somewhere quieter, where she can continue her education and fight cyber criminals in peace.

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-AŠ-