Teni Coker | Happiness Engineer

I’d been interested in tech for a long time, but I never felt like it was the right path for me. I was a psychology major in college, and I tried learning tech skills there too, but the classes all felt way over my head. Learning out of a thick textbook didn’t help either!

That rocky introduction to the tech world kept me away for a long time. But then I was laid off from my job, and the idea of switching to a more sustainable field like tech kept jumping out at me. I just wasn’t sure where to start or if I would even be good at it.

I came across Skillcrush’s Coding Camp, and since it was free, I figured I might as well try it. The first lesson felt super approachable. Everything was broken up into very short, digestible segments, so it didn’t feel overwhelming at all. I ended up blazing through the entire week of lessons in one day! And I figured if the actual classes were going to feel like this, then why not sign up?

 in only nine months, I landed a remote, full-time job!

I enrolled in the Break Into Tech course package and in only nine months, I landed a remote, full-time job! I now work at Automattic — the company behind WordPress.com, Tumblr, and more — where I use the WordPress knowledge I gained at Skillcrush on a daily basis.

I do not miss my previous commute — not at all! And it’s so refreshing not feeling like I have my supervisor watching over my shoulder. Instead, I have a manager who actually trusts me to do my work, so I definitely feel more relaxed.

Plus I’m being compensated a lot more fairly right now. I’m in a much more secure place financially, and I actually feel confident in the work I’m doing. My eyes have been opened to what a job should actually feel like.

I would not be in this position if I didn’t come across Skillcrush. In hindsight, I can’t believe how fortunate I was to have found Skillcrush at the time that I found it. I’m super grateful for its existence and the instructors and staff for supporting me through what was a really challenging time.

They helped me achieve this level of security, and I’m extremely grateful.