COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on our economy. Retrenchments, pay cuts, and reductions in work hours are a ‘new normal’ thanks to our lockdown, curfews, and growing list of nationwide restrictions on business activity. Just looking at the statistics of the economic decline in our country, it’s not hard to see why so many people want to switch careers to tech, where job security, good pay, remote work, and career growth are significantly more guaranteed than even ‘essential’ services.
According to Statistics SA, the official unemployment rate increased from its already 11-year high to 30.1% in the first quarter of 2020. Rising unemployment has been a grave issue for over a decade, but with the devastating effect of COVID-19 and the restrictions introduced to curb its spread, it will only get worse. Between 1.5 million and 3 million jobs losses are thought to have been lost during our extended lockdown, a horrendous outcome that could increase our official unemployment rate to as high as 50%.
Making the nerve-wracking decision to switch careers to tech
One of the many millions of people affected by the lockdown’s economic fallout was HyperionDev Software Engineer Bootcamp student Bettina Caldeira, who signed up for our online, part-time bootcamp after her industry came to a sudden stop. It wasn’t easy to decide to switch careers to tech, but Bettina knew that it would be a worthwhile change that could build her future.
“I worked in the Film Industry for many years, but unfortunately due to Covid-19 the SA Film Industry has slowed down by 90%. I love the work environment in film, but I’ve always been fascinated by the tech world. Due to my job in film coming to a complete standstill, it gave me time to finally look at coding courses and to see what I could potentially do in this field that I’ve loved from afar for so many years. In a way, the bad news was also a blessing in disguise.”
“Bootcamps are great, and fit my schedule perfectly!”
If you want to switch careers to tech, you’ll need the right set of skills for the job – and with so many different options to learn how to code, Bettina was at first hesitant about coding bootcamps. Soon after signing up, she realised that her fears were unfounded, as she quickly settled into a personally-involved rich community of students with similar interests, work ethics, and career dreams – not to mention a learning structure that puts personal mentorship at the heart of its education.
“I thought bootcamps were a good idea, but probably very impersonal. I was wrong about the latter – they’re not impersonal at all! There’s a great sense of community with fellow coders on many different platforms. From Whatsapp groups, to Github, to Discord… and you get a mentor you can chat to five days a week. So far, it’s great – and it fits in perfectly with my daily schedule!”
1-on-1 mentorship to ensure your personal growth in coding
Learning how to code isn’t easy for a complete newcomer who is more used to cameras than compilers, but with our focus on 1-on-1 mentorship and personalised growth, Bettina has been able to make quick and consistent improvements on her coding journey.
“It is challenging but not impossible. I’m a total beginner, and I find the online course helps to direct me in the right direction. With perseverance and an ability to research well, I’ve been able to learn the correct code – all from various developers who share knowledge and support online. It’s great! Plus, Dayle (my 1-on-1 mentor) is very supportive and gives good constructive criticism. I have had trouble with two different tasks so far, but with Dayle’s feedback I’ve been able to address the task with renewed energy.”
With her mentor’s constant guidance, Bettina is well on her way to realising her big plans for her future in tech: to get a coding job and start learning as many new coding languages as she can.
“In the immediate future, I want to get a software engineer position with the assistance of HyperionDev, God willing. And in the next two years, I will have learnt many more coding languages which can only be a good thing, as the demand for more versatile knowledgeable coders is growing yet again.”
The lockdown has wreaked havoc on the economic landscape: salary cuts, work hours reductions, and retrenchments are increasingly common. However, the tech industry is still growing, with thousands of businesses across the globe turning to remote work, digital services, and online alternatives just to keep business going and get their work done. With this ‘new normal’ where everything is digital, you need more and more tech professionals to keep it all running smoothly.
Our bootcamps get you job-ready skills to become a professional software engineer, web developer, or data scientist in less than 6 months. Best of all, you’ll have access to your own personal mentor who will get you programming to an industry-aligned standard, with frequent practical capstone projects so that you can practise real-life developer skills in applications that professionals work on every day.
Are you thinking about starting your journey to learning how to code so you can join this fast-growing, high-paying industry? Sign up today for your free trial.
