Just two years ago, Capetonian entrepreneur Mubashir Dollie was one of the many small business owners who was forced to close during the Covid-19 lockdowns. But, looking back, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Mubashir used the time he suddenly had on his hands to research his career options. Once he realised that software development suited him to a T, he started looking for an affordable and quick path to qualification.
Today this HyperionDev graduate is a software engineering consultant in the FinTech industry, and life could not be better. Let’s take a look at his inspiring success story.
Taking the leap and switching careers
Mubashir was a successful entrepreneur, running his own furniture manufacturing business and being responsible for a large team of workers. Although he loved being a business owner, during the first lockdown, his business grounded to a halt. Mubashir realised that to be able to support himself and his family, he had to spread his wings. He was looking for a career that allowed him to be creative without the stress and responsibilities of being a small business owner. He says:
“The Covid-19 pandemic had opened my eyes to the fact that we need an array of skills if we want to not only survive but also to get ahead in life.“
During his research, he found that the skillset required to work in software development was right up his alley. His online learning searches led him to HyperionDev, and he signed up for the Full Stack Web Development bootcamp, which he elected to complete on-site on a full-time basis. We asked him what made him decide to go with HyperionDev, and he said:
“The huge number of success stories, the global recognition of the certification, the curriculum, the services offered, the mentors, the network platform, and the free coffee, amongst other things, were what led me to choose HyperionDev.”
Making a fresh start in a new industry
Within two months of completing the bootcamp, he landed his first full-time job as an intern and software developer. Since then, he’s moved on to a permanent position as a software engineering consultant at the PBT Group, a data specialist company that counts Capitec as one of its clients.
Mubashir’s role is DevOps Engineer, working closely with the backend team. He explains that while the hard technical skills he learned at the bootcamp are what got him in the door, it’s his soft skills that keep him going. These are skills such as thinking like a developer, communicating technical concepts, understanding technical requirements, and learning on the go.
The hard and soft of bootcamp
Mubashir lights up when he speaks about his bootcamp experience, especially our mentorship programme and peer-learning model. He says being in close contact with his mentor ensured he grasped concepts, overcame obstacles and absorbed thinking patterns at lightning speed. Learning along with his peers meant he had access to a vibrant shared platform where ideas, solutions and concepts could be discussed and debated.
While many of our graduates go to lengths explaining how they enjoy learning programming fundamentals and doing capstone projects, Mubashir takes a broader view. For him, it was about so much more than just coding. The course taught him how to communicate technical ideas and concepts to non-technical people and how to overcome the barriers and obstacles that the industry is renowned for.
Having these skills and ‘thinking like a developer’ on top of working in tech stacks such as AQL, Azure, and .Net – and having the hard skills needed to manage both front-end and back-end web development – is what sets HyperionDev bootcamp graduates apart. Our Career Services team also assisted Mubashir with mock interviews, drawing up a winning CV, and managing his portfolio. No wonder he landed a top job in just two months!
Nothing’s going to stop him now
Mubashir is taking everything he learnt during his bootcamp into his new role and beyond while being committed to learning new technical skills as he gains experience. We asked him if he had advice for others considering a coding career. He says:
“Do it and get it done as quickly as possible. The barriers to entry into this lucrative industry are really low. If you’ve got the attitude for it, there’s nothing that will stop you from achieving your goals.”
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If you’re inspired by Mubashir’s story and feel ready to embark on your own journey toward a fulfilling career in the tech industry, consider registering with HyperionDev here.
Who knows, your success story may be next!
