For many people, changing careers feels impossible. There’s the fear of starting again. The fear of being behind everyone else in the room. The fear of leaving behind years of experience in one industry to become a beginner in another.
For Ilana de Beer, those fears were very real. After spending almost ten years working in the tourism industry, she had built a career and established herself professionally. Technology wasn’t part of her job description, and coding certainly wasn’t something she imagined doing every day.
Yet the curiosity was always there. During her time working for an online booking platform, Ilana became increasingly fascinated by the technology powering the websites and systems she used every day.
“I found myself wondering how everything worked behind the scenes,” she says.
What started as curiosity slowly became something more.
Eventually, after a difficult retrenchment and a period of reflection, Ilana made a decision that would change the direction of her career entirely. She was going to give herself permission to start over.
Making the career change into tech
Career changes often look exciting from the outside. In reality, they are often accompanied by uncertainty, self-doubt, and difficult decisions.
For Ilana, choosing to pursue web development meant leaving behind familiarity and stepping into an industry where she had no professional experience.
“Leaving everything behind and going back to study part-time was very scary,” she explains.
At 35, the idea of starting again felt daunting. Many people around her already had years of experience in the field she wanted to enter. Others had studied computer science or worked in technical roles for years. She had neither.
What she did have was determination and a growing belief that this was the work she genuinely wanted to do.
“This is really what I want to do,” she says. “I really want to do front-end development.”
That vision became the driving force behind everything that followed.
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Finding the right learning environment
Once she had decided to pursue tech, the next challenge was figuring out where to begin. Like many aspiring developers, Ilana found herself overwhelmed by the number of online courses and coding bootcamps available.
“There are thousands of bootcamps out there,” she says.
She began researching her options carefully, speaking to people in the industry and looking for a learning environment that felt credible, supportive, and practical. What stood out about HyperionDev was not simply the curriculum. It was the people.
Before enroling, Ilana was able to speak directly with members of the team and ask questions about the programme, the learning experience, and what to expect. Those conversations mattered.
“It didn’t feel like just another online company,” she explains. “There were real people I could connect with and speak to beforehand.”
Having access to support from the very beginning gave her confidence that she would not be navigating the journey alone. HyperionDev’s physical presence in Stellenbosch also gave her confidence and provided additional reassurance that she was joining an established organisation with a genuine investment in student outcomes. For someone making such a significant career change, trust mattered. And she found it.
Building confidence through real projects
Ilana enrolled in the HyperionDev Web Development Bootcamp with one clear objective in mind. She wanted to become a front-end developer. That passion for design, interfaces, and user experience was what had drawn her to web development in the first place.
What surprised her was discovering that she enjoyed the backend side of development too.
“My main focus was front-end development, but I actually got very excited about the backend stuff as well.”
Like many students entering tech for the first time, the beginning was intimidating. Learning to code can feel overwhelming when every concept is new and every error message feels like a dead end. But one of the strengths of project-based learning is that confidence grows alongside capability. Each task in the bootcamp built upon the one before it.
Each project built on the last, gradually taking Ilana from foundational concepts to more advanced web development skills. One project that stands out in particular involved recreating the homepage of an existing online business. The task required close attention to layout, structure, design, and functionality.
For the first time, she began to see how professional websites are constructed and how the small details contribute to the final experience. The final capstone project brought everything together.
“It was quite a daunting task,” she says, “but it was fun because everything comes together at once and you can actually see what you can do.”
That moment is familiar to many bootcamp graduates. The point where the individual lessons stop feeling disconnected and suddenly become part of a much bigger picture. The point where you realise you are no longer simply learning about web development.
You are doing it.
Learning with mentor support
Technical skills are only one part of learning to code. Confidence is often the bigger challenge.
For many aspiring developers, especially career changers, impostor syndrome can become one of the biggest obstacles to progress. Ilana experienced that too. The difference was having support available when she needed it.
“The mentorship was great,” she says. “Everyone was super helpful.”
Having access to experienced developers who could provide guidance, answer questions, and help navigate challenges made a significant difference throughout her learning journey. “It showed me that I actually can code.”
That shift in mindset may be one of the most important outcomes of any learning experience. Not simply knowing more than you did yesterday. Believing that you belong in the room.
Turning new skills into a career
Today, Ilana works as a freelance web designer, web builder, and low-code web developer with Blanc Media. The opportunity came through a friend after completing the bootcamp. Her role focuses on designing and building websites for small businesses, balancing visual design with functionality and user experience. Since completing the programme, she has worked on websites for real clients and transformed her skills into a growing freelance career.
“I’ve been able to design websites for clients, build them and create functional websites,” she says.
“And then you’re proud of yourself.”
That feeling is difficult to quantify. It is the moment where theory becomes reality. The moment when the thing that once felt impossible becomes something you do every day.
Continuing to grow as a developer
One of the realities of working in technology is that learning is continuous. New frameworks emerge. Tools evolve. Industries shift. For Ilana, that is part of the appeal.
The bootcamp provided the foundation she needed in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript while also teaching the problem-solving and persistence that professional developers rely on every day.
More importantly, it taught her how to approach projects logically and how to continue learning independently. Those skills have become invaluable in her freelance work. The projects may change, but the mindset remains the same.
Break problems down. Keep building. Keep improving.
Starting small is still starting
Perhaps the most powerful part of Ilana’s story is not where she is today. It is how she got there. After the bootcamp, she continued learning through free courses, YouTube tutorials, and small projects for friends and family.
She built websites for friends, family, and small businesses whenever she could. She said yes to opportunities before she felt completely ready. Eventually, those small steps led to bigger opportunities.
“By putting myself out there, I connected with a friend who owns a marketing business, and she gave me the opportunity to freelance in web design and development.”
At first, she felt out of her depth. With every project, that feeling became a little smaller. Confidence replaced uncertainty. Experience replaced fear. And the dream that once felt distant started to feel achievable.
Building a long-term career in tech
Ilana’s long-term goal remains clear. One day, she hopes to secure a front-end developer role at a larger organisation. But her perspective on success has changed.
“Dreams don’t happen overnight,” she says. “You have to start small to develop that dream.”
Every project matters. Every lesson matters. Every connection matters. The tech journey is rarely linear, but progress is still progress.
Advice for anyone considering a career change
For anyone considering a move into technology, Ilana’s advice is simple. Keep going. There will be moments when you doubt yourself. There will be moments when opportunities take longer than expected to arrive.
There will be moments when giving up feels easier. Don’t.
“It will be hard, and you will want to give up,” she says. “It might not happen immediately, but it will come.”
Keep learning. Keep building. Keep meeting people. Keep creating things, even if they are only for yourself or for friends and family. Most importantly, don’t go back to what you know you don’t love. “Keep moving toward what you do.”
For Ilana, that decision changed everything. And for many aspiring developers standing where she once stood, perhaps that first step is all it takes to begin changing everything, too.
Ready to start your own journey?
Whether you’re looking to change careers, build practical skills or take your first steps into web development, every journey starts with a decision to begin.
Explore HyperionDev’s online coding bootcamps and build the practical skills, portfolio, and confidence to launch your own career in technology.
