Exploring Pathways in Tech Panel and Q&A

We’ve all heard that the tech industry is booming - but sometimes it feels daunting to know where to start. Which languages should you learn first? Should you attend a full-time or part-time program? A bootcamp or a 4 year degree? What’s really the difference between Back-End and Front-End?

Get your questions answered during this panel discussion and learn how each individual successfully made the transition into a new career in the tech industry.

Panelists

• Rachel Buchta: Front-End Developer at LeafLink

• Krista Stadler: Back-End Developer at Gloo

• Patrick Shobe: Full-Stack Developer at Housecall Pro

• Oscar Cortez: ˆFront-End Student at Turing School

Event Format

We'll start the event by asking our panelists a few key questions that individuals have asked us when considering a career change into tech and then open questions up for attendees to ask. You're welcome and encouraged to submit questions in advance to a specific panelist, or the full group on the event's registration form.

Event Details

• Friday, July 23 from 10:00-11:00am mountain standard time

• The specific Zoom link will be sent to you upon registering for the event

Read more about our panelists below:

Rachel is a Front-End Software Developer at LeafLink, a wholesale cannabis marketplace based in New York City. She lives in Colorado and works for LeafLink remotely. Before joining LeafLink, she worked at Lodo Massage Studio as a massage therapist. Rachel originally pursued a career in psychology by attending the University of Louisiana at Lafayette but decided after two years that it wasn’t the right path for her. She trained to become a licensed massage therapist and worked in restaurants before attending Turing School. She was attracted to learning how to code by connecting to others who were developers in her community and the desire to make a positive impact with the things she could build. Rachel enjoys seeing live music in beautiful places, experiencing new cultures and hanging with her pup, Jazzy.

Before learning how to code at Turing, Krista earned a M.A. in English Literature and spent several years working as a Data Analyst, focusing on process documentation and improvement. When her oldest child was born in 2015, she hit pause on her career and stayed home with her kids until she started the backend program at Turing in January 2020. She graduated in August 2020 and spent several months working for a financial tech startup in Lafayette, CO, first as an apprentice and then as a contractor, while she looked for a full-time software engineer position. She received a job offer from Gloo in March 2021 and has been working for them as an Associate Software Engineer since then.

Patrick is a Full Stack Software Engineer at Housecall Pro, a company management tool for the home services industry. Before working at Housecall Pro he was a Full Stack & Devops Engineer at Land Title Guarantee Company. Patrick lives and works remotely from Denver. Prior to attending Turing, Patrick pursued a career in real estate working as a Title Abstractor, Transaction Coordinator, and a Data Analyst. Patrick was initially introduced to coding and Turing through co-workers who had attended Turing and encouraged him to pursue a career change. Turing’s alternative education path attracted Patrick as he had not been successful in traditional education settings. When Patrick isn’t working he enjoys walking his dogs around Denver with his wife (who is also a Turing grad).

Oscar is currently a Front-End student at Turing School of Software and Design. He was born in El Salvador, migrated at the age of 5 to the United States for a better life and opportunity and has lived in Colorado ever since then. Before attending Turing, Oscar worked in a wide array of jobs, from retail to the construction field. Due to lack of opportunity and finances, he did not pursue a degree with a college or university but was the first in his family to receive his high school diploma. He was attracted to learning how to code through his cousin who is also a developer, was interested in an industry where he could create projects for his community and the desire to make a positive impact with the things he could build. Oscar enjoys soccer, live music and likes to attend car shows.

Host or Publisher Turing School