Kanny Mohammed

For three years, Kanny Mohammed worked at a law firm. Eventually, she realized that the job offered no prospects for career growth, only a never-ending list of tedious tasks and instructions. Kanny called it quits and ventured into the green fields of tech.

With the help of DigitalCrafts, Kanny learned software engineering and landed a UI developer role at Accenture federal services—all the while dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and caring for her kids. Here is Kanny’s story.

Tell us about your background. What were you doing before attending the program?

I worked in the documentation department in a law firm for three years. I was buried in papers and was constantly given many instructions and several tasks that never ended. I felt that I was not gaining any experience as my job was to do the same task every day. That made me decide to quit and join the DigitalCrafts bootcamp.

What motivated you to explore a new career or upskill in your existing field, and why did you decide to pick this program?

I always dreamed of being a developer. I remember listening to the team in my old company talking about coding, and I wished I was one of them. I picked DigitalCrafts because of the curriculum, the great reputation, and seeing the alumni succeed year after year. That motivated me to apply to this amazing school. This is one of the most significant steps in my life that I will never regret.

What were some of your biggest considerations when making this choice?

The biggest challenge I faced during COVID-19 and while attending the program was that my three-year-old and six-year-old kids were at home with me.

What did you like about the program? Are there any highlights that stood out to you?

What I liked about this program was the curriculum and how we started from the beginning to become pros! Exactly from zero to hero to build a big project that made me so proud while job hunting. The work we did was also very relevant to what was going on in the market.

How did you fit the program into your schedule?

I was in the 16-week immersive course. It was very intense, but sometimes, focusing and diving deep into one thing makes you accomplish more and learn faster, especially when it comes to coding. You needed to code every day to learn.

Can you give us any examples of projects that you worked on during the program?

Using React Redux was one of the projects that I am proud of. It was the project I worked on before the capstone project. This project was built with HTML, CSS bootstrap, and React-Redux. It was a financial app to calculate your monthly payments, make API calls, and display a chart for all your expenses.

Do you have any advice for someone considering this program?

Honestly, I highly recommend the program because it changed my life, and I hope it will change your life, too. You will learn a lot and achieve a lot in a very short time. But you should never stop. Keep learning, coding, and growing. Always trust yourself and never feel down.

How did the program support you in finding a job?

DigitalCrafts…taught us how to do an elevator pitch and how to market ourselves and build our business…We met with the biggest companies and learned how to showcase our projects and skills.

Was the job search process different from what you expected?

The job search wasn’t easy, but getting interviews taught me how to talk and learn from my mistakes…I never stopped applying for jobs that had descriptions that matched my qualifications.

How many companies did you interview at? How did you choose which one to work with?

I did several interviews. Some of them worked. Some did not. But the last one went well because the job description matched my skills. I remember reviewing the DigitalCrafts curriculum before the interview and all the potential interview questions that could come up. I worked hard to get the job. I tried to be confident, and I got it!

How are the skills you gained from the course useful in your current career?

The things that I learned during the DigitalCrafts course were more than relevant to the current market, which helped me a lot. I also became more familiar with codebase, which helped me understand different processes better and what took place on the backend. I am now working in front end development. DigitalCrafts provided me with a strong foundation and helped me grow fast.

What do you think is different about your life now versus before the program?

In the beginning, I felt scared because I had a lot of responsibilities on my shoulders. But now, I am getting better at learning more every day. Tackling new tasks is teaching me a lot, and I am also learning new ways to solve issues that may arise. I honestly feel my life changed for the better. I couldn’t be happier.

What do you find fulfilling about your current line of work?

I feel happy that I am now working as an application developer in a company like Accenture. Learning has no end as the world evolves at such a fast pace. So, I keep learning, practicing, and coding. I might make mistakes, but I learn from them and continue to practice.

What do you enjoy about working at your current company, are there any specific perks you enjoy?

First, I enjoy working at my current company because my qualifications match the job description and I deliver. I learn new stuff daily. A task might be challenging at first, but I can easily tackle it when it comes up again.

Do you have any job search advice for someone considering a career in your field?

My advice is to keep searching until you get an interview. Go for it, do your best, and you’ll get it. I believe hard work will get you where you need to go. In the meantime, keep coding and practicing to succeed in your interviews.