Decode your power

Of all the dreams I had when I was little, the one I wanted most was to become a fireman. It was a sentimental dream - my grandfather was a fireman. In high school, I had to decide what I wanted to do next in life and at that time it seemed to me that physiotherapy was the profession for me.

When we moved to Wroclaw, I started to think about my professional future and whether I wanted to continue working in my learned profession.

The turning point came when I met some local programmers. The IT world has moved on a lot in terms of technology. I decided that this was the place for me, that I also wanted to be part of this world and contribute my little bit.

I already had several years of experience and I had to start all over again. I was no longer 19 years old.

“It's a decision that will make me have to rebrand myself…”. At the time I thought it would take me a few years - I was sure I would go to university.

A friend mentioned programming courses to me and I started getying interested in them. Ultimately, the choice fell on Coders Lab.

The first impression was a bit of a shock because I thought that I would be one of the oldest people, and it turned out that I was one of the youngest. On the other hand, it was also motivating - it turned out that I am not the only one who feels such a need to change.

The course itself was fun, sometimes it was also stressful, e.g. before exams. The lecturers were great - without exception. I fondly remember all the moments I spent on the course.

After completing the course I was still employed as a physiotherapist. When I started applying for junior positions, the most common response I got was that if I wasn't able to start now, companies would find someone with more experience to take my place. So I took a chance and quit my job overnight. Even though I wasn't the most attractive on the job market in terms of experience, my willingness to start working right away proved to be a great asset.

I also had an idea to stand out in recruitment. I wanted to do something different from everyone else, so I made a short film about myself.

Every recruiter gave me positive feedback and many said the video was a great idea. In the final stage of recruitment, I had a choice between a large organisation and a small company. In the end, I decided to start my first job in a smaller company because I thought I would learn more there. And in the end, I wasn't wrong.

I feel like a programmer, even though I know how much I still don't know, how much I still have to learn. And I will keep learning.

Each graduate had different motivations and doubts at the start. But they made a bold decision and took that first, difficult step toward change. They let go of past achievements and lessons learned and... changed their professional lives. See how they did it.