Marisa Raeder

Marisa Raeder was an excellent headhunter, helping companies find the right talents to fill open roles. As she matured in this role, the work became repetitive, leaving her wanting for a more challenging and exciting career. So she took the bold step to learn how to code and pursue a role in the rapidly growing tech industry.

Nucamp, a coding bootcamp offering tech programs in a blended format, came to Marisa’s radar. Its flexible yet well-structured curriculum was exactly what she needed and that’s what cemented Marisa’s decision to enroll in Nucamp’s Full Stack Web and Mobile Development program.

From a professional recruiter, Marisa has transitioned to a promising career as a software engineer for a Fortune 500 company, Northwestern Mutual. Learn how Nucamp helped her launch a career that offers no shortage of puzzles and fulfillment.

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

I was a professional recruiter at a small staffing firm where I sourced candidates for various companies…I tried to ‘sell’ them open jobs, facilitated client interviews and negotiation processes, and placed candidates into roles. It was a sales job, through and through.

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

My previous role was very repetitive…I wanted to find a long-term career that is challenging, engaging, and involves more critical thinking and problem-solving.

[While] soul searching and researching, I read an article about a [former marketing professional] who decided to quit his job and attend a coding bootcamp. His former company offered him a lot of money to come back as an engineer for them!

I thought, “What do I have to lose?”

After about a month of exploring HTML, CSS, and JavaScript on Udemy, I decided to enroll at Nucamp. The price tag, curriculum, and flexible schedule were what drew me to the bootcamp…I was excited about the idea of gaining skills in the field of tech which continues to experience explosive growth. And I was attracted to the idea of building cool stuff with cool people.

How did you finance your education and what were some of your biggest considerations when making this choice?

Nucamp is so cheap that I just used money from my savings.

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

I liked the structure [of the curriculum], deadlines, and like-minded classmates studying alongside me and motivating me. I liked having access to live instructors with industry experience even though the course was online.

How did you fit the program into your schedule?

I studied the material daily, did the practice exercises, and completed the optional projects. I always left time for working out, sleeping, and [maintaining] a healthy lifestyle.

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

I built a React app that was like a crowdfunding website for entrepreneurs. [It is an app where] users can market their business ideas and collect funding to launch or scale their businesses.

Do you have any advice for someone considering this program?

Talk to actual graduates of the program! Search or reach out to them on LinkedIn or join Nucamp’s campfire chats…Make sure that you find people with similar goals who have successfully experienced the outcomes you’re looking to achieve.

How did the program support you in finding a job?

There was a job posting channel on [Nucamp’s] Slack community. The instructors would also stay after class and give career tips and tricks when I asked them.

Was the job search process different from what you expected?

My job search was a lot more fruitful than I expected. I put out 12 job applications, got interviewed for three roles, and had two offers within four to five weeks after the bootcamp ended.

You HAVE to do things that every other candidate is not doing…Track down CEOs and hiring managers on LinkedIn and message or cold call them directly…It’s an unexpected and unique approach that got me a lot of attention in a short period.

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

I interviewed with three companies. Two were web development companies and the other was a staffing company that places engineers at larger companies. I ultimately accepted the role at the staffing company…and was placed at Northwestern Mutual, a Fortune 500 company in the insurance and financial services industry.

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

I use Node.js in my current job, so the course was highly relevant to my daily work. [Nucamp trained me to] think like a programmer, which is an invaluable skill that I’ve carried over to my career.

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

I feel like I have a highly valuable skill set and my job security, prospects, and career projection are a lot more solid now…I feel like I’ve joined an insider’s club and that I am contributing to some of the greatest advancements in the world.

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

As a software engineer and the leader of a Scrum team, bringing a team together to achieve things and watching my team members grow have been very rewarding. The tech we are building is also very new to the company, so being on the cutting edge of designing new systems from scratch, coding and execution, testing, and data engineering keeps everything fresh and interesting on a daily basis.

What do you enjoy about working at your current company?

I enjoy the level of autonomy in my current company. I’ve been fortunate to rise quickly and was leading a scrum team already within five months. I have the ability to influence our systems from the ground up, provide guidance and training to other engineers, drive our execution of code systems, and hit deadlines for our projects. I can’t complain about my 10-step commute from my bed to my home office, either!

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

Focus on applying to jobs you’d feel comfortable interviewing for where there’s an actual skill match. Go to networking events or coding events and meet real people.

Take it from a previous headhunter. It is not that hard to stand out among other candidates, and yet 99 percent of people like to roll with the status quo rather than take a unique approach that will make you hard to ignore.