Doing It Alone

Paola was raised by her maternal grandparents in the Colombian countryside, farmers who earned everything they had through hard work. “My mom is there, but it’s a different relationship,” she says. Her grandparents were her true parents. 

While Paola has very fond memories of growing up with them, they had limited financial means. She paid her own way through her architecture studies, working days and studying nights. “University in Colombia is very expensive,” she explained. She worked at a local Cinemark to cover basic expenses and her tuition. 

During that time, while in college, her grandparents fell ill. She was the one buying their medicine. It was then that Paola became, at a very young age, the bedrock of her family. 

Her grandfather passed away first, fifteen years ago, followed by her grandmother a few years later. 

Then Paola took on financial responsibility for their children: her aging mother and her maternal uncle, who suffers from a cognitive disability. “In that way, I feel I’m giving back,” she shares,  “honoring what my grandparents did for me.”

For over a decade, Paola worked in architecture, on construction sites. She worked as a freelancer, without benefits, carrying 3-4 projects at a time just to earn “the minimum needed for survival” for herself and her family. Her stress levels became so high, her partner began to worry constantly about her health. 

“I couldn’t keep going with that much economic instability.”

Support for a Better Life 

Paola’s partner is a software developer and suggested she try programming. She began teaching herself through online courses and bootcamps, but having no background in IT, she was struggling. She was close to throwing in the towel when a friend sent her the information about Generation Colombia.

The three-month intensive format appealed to her immediately: a real foundation she could move forward from. She was especially pulled in by Generation’s extensive employer partner network, with companies that hire directly from Generation graduates. What’s more, she knew Generation’s curriculum is tailored for job-readiness thanks to an ongoing feedback loop with these employer partners. 

One week after Paola finished the program, her mentor shared her CV with a hiring company. Paola was still skeptical about her chances, given that she didn’t have a technical background. But she went through the interview and the technical test, and she got the job. 

“I didn’t expect to be hired. It was overwhelming. I cried.”

A Radical Life Change 

Today Paola works as a software engineer at a multinational company, and received a raise within her first year. “I’m earning more than my final salary as an architect, and it’s only been a year.”

That income supports not just her, but also her mother and her uncle. Today, she can support them in a much better way, and with enough time and income left over to take care of her own needs. 

She and her partner have moved into a new home. It’s a beautiful space she’s extremely proud of, and that represents a substantial increase in her quality of life. She’s now pursuing a technical degree in software development, with a clear path to doubling her salary in the coming years, growth she says was simply out of reach in architecture.

With the free time and income she now has, she can travel to the countryside, spending weekends among the trees, visiting her uncle, and relaxing. Recently, she trained for a half marathon, sponsored by her company, something she’s very proud of. She has more space with this new job, and more opportunity to take care of herself. 

“Generation was the community that opened doors for me and stayed by my side. It was like a godparent.”