Angie is a twenty-five-year-old living in Santiago, Chile, with her mother and three younger siblings. Born in Bolivia, she moved to Chile at the age of seven when her parents migrated in search of better opportunities.

She worked hard throughout school and earned a scholarship to attend a private university to become a dentist. But after graduation, the realities of the job market hit hard. Dental work offered little financial stability, and the family depended on her mother’s salary as a supermarket stocker.

“I wasn’t living, I was merely surviving. I couldn’t rely on a steady salary, and although my mother has always been supportive and never asked for anything, I dreamed of becoming independent. I felt like I was wasting my time.”

With no income, she came across a Generation Chile advertisement on Facebook and thought, “This is it. A complete change that could lead me to a better future.” Even though she knew nothing about coding and worried about leaving dentistry behind, she did know how to study hard, and that’s what she did.

Angie joined the three-month Generation Chile’s Junior JavaScript Developer program sponsored by MetLife Foundation in February. Alongside her, thirty-one other individuals also graduated and started a career in the technology sector as Junior Java Developers.

“I dedicated myself fully, always trying to go the extra mile. I didn’t just learn JavaScript; I also mastered the basics of coding that enabled me to use other programming languages. Sometimes it was extremely hard and frustrating, but it was all worth it!”

New beginnings

After graduating from the program, Angie sent out more than a hundred CVs and attended countless interviews before finally landing her current job as a Back-End Developer in a startup.

 “I had to go through six interviews to get this position, but I’m so glad I did. My team is incredibly supportive; I work and learn a lot, and the startup has a flat hierarchy with approachable founders. I’m very happy with my job and can’t wait to keep growing my career.”

Looking toward the future, Angie is saving every month in hopes of one day buying her own place: “I can finally see my mother is less worried about my future.”

Beyond financial stability, her new career has allowed Angie to rediscover joy: “I love hiking and running, and now I can slowly afford accessories that make my hobbies better and safer while also saving for the future. I’m not just surviving anymore, I’m living.”