Audience: Voices

CAREER BREAK

Anuradha was a software test engineer for several years but took a break from the workforce after having children. She enjoyed her work, experiencing steady, consistent growth in her field before her career break.

After three years away, re-entering the workforce proved more difficult than she had anticipated. She says, “You know how demanding the industry is. There’s a lot of technologies you have to catch up with. The competition is overwhelming.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, her job search became that much harder. “It was a total disaster,” she says, reflecting on that time.

UPSKILLING TO EXPAND HER OPPORTUNITIES

Then she saw an ad for Generation Australia’s Junior Web Developer program and decided to go for it. A few months later, she’d completed the course, entirely online.

Beyond the technical skills she gained, she especially appreciated Generation’s wrap-around support. “We really got nice support from Generation … How to write your resume, how to write your cover letter, how to search for jobs, how to apply, how to improve your network. And that was really an eye-opener.”

She also appreciated that she was still supported long after the bootcamp was officially over and was grateful for her ongoing connections with Generation staff.

LANDING A JOB

Shortly after finishing the Web Developer course, Anuradha landed several interviews through Generation with our network of employer partners.

She went from feeling a bit behind on the current technologies to becoming a top contender for jobs that required a combination of her new coding skills and prior software testing experience. All within a period of a few months.

The first job she got through Generation was a short-term contract position. When she finished that, she called the Generation Australia office, and the team got her another interview. She landed that one too, and began working with the company that is her employer today.

She has already recommended the program to three of her friends. “I gained a lot from Generation,” she says.

LAID OFF DUE TO COVID-19

Syafii spent the first decade of his career in the publishing industry. He worked for a few different publications, receiving regular promotions and consistently positive feedback from his managers. But soon after he started a new job at a magazine, COVID-19 struck. The magazine went out of business and Syafii lost his job.

Syafii had always been interested in tech: “I’ve been a computer-obsessed guy ever since I was a little boy.” At the same time, he had a mortgage to pay and didn’t want to remain unemployed for too long. How could he begin a new career in a completely different industry?

BEYOND TECHNICAL SKILLS

Around the time he was laid off, the Government of Singapore offered dozens of programs for mid-career adults like Syafii, who had lost jobs and needed to reskill for a new career in the wake of the pandemic. After careful consideration, he chose to enroll in the program SGUnited Skills (SGUS) Up-Skill in Software Development, developed by Generation Singapore in partnership with the local government and polytechnic.

The appeal Generation held was that it goes far beyond just the technical skills training, which other programs also offered. “At Generation, the mindset is that your job is to be more than just a very skilled programmer. Your job is to be a really skilled employee. Your job is to be a really good coworker, a good leader, a good team player.”

Syafii took full advantage of Generation’s mentors, behavioral mindset approach, and job acquisition skills. At first, he was skeptical about how he would get a job in a field he had never worked in before. But he put his faith in the Generation process, rewrote his resume, and with help from the Generation team crafted a career narrative that positioned him as an appealing entry-level software development candidate.

ACCESS TO NETWORKS AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Generation gave Syafii a chance to engage with seasoned web development professionals. Beyond the instructors and mentors, there were regular guest lecturers and networking opportunities throughout the bootcamp.

“The fact that I could have access to an actual Google engineer who was willing to give me advice about how to find a job and how to crack some coding problem I was facing, that was super cool and super valuable. Even if you have a computer science degree fresh out of university, you may not have had that chance.”

The course culminated with an employer networking day for the entire class. Generation “was super willing to do whatever they could to get us hired,” he notes. “After the course ended, the Generation team got all of us interviews with eight tech companies.” Syafii felt that his interview skills had skyrocketed by the end of the day, and he could now skillfully address even the most challenging employer questions.

WORTH A MILLION BUCKS

As it turned out, there was no need for Syafii to hone that skill further (at least for the moment). Just a couple of weeks after graduating from the bootcamp, he had landed a job with one of Generation’s employer partners who he had met during the networking day.

Syafii is now a web developer for Capgemini. He says that “If you had told me four or five months ago that I’d be hired as a software developer eight months into the pandemic, I’d be very surprised, and I probably wouldn’t have believed you.”

As with most Generation programs worldwide, the program was free for Syafii, but he notes, “the things I learned from Generation are worth a million bucks.”

A career upended by the Digital Revolution

For more than a decade, Pennie enjoyed a growing career in marketing and advertising. When she had children, she took a few years away from the workforce to focus on family—confident that she’d find her footing again when she was ready to return.

As she began her job search, it did not take long for her to realize that she was reentering an industry that had been fundamentally transformed in her absence. “Of course, in the last five years, digital just went BOOM. And my knowledge and my skills did not match the job requirements.”

Unsure how to navigate this new world, Pennie began to apply even for junior-level positions. She sent over a hundred resumes to no avail. “I was very competent in conventional advertising, like print, radio, and television, but you know, most companies have moved their advertising budgets into online communications. I was missing the relevant skills, which is the digital marketing portion.”

She was in the midst of her search when COVID-19 deepened her predicament.

Pennie had a plan

Undeterred, Pennie knew she needed to try something different. “The realization was I really need to upgrade. I need to acquire the skills that are relevant for the jobs that are out there.” 

In 2020, she came across the SkillsFuture Work-Learn Bootcamp, a collaboration between Generation, SkillsFuture Singapore, and Institutes of Higher Learning.

The first week was tough, and Pennie wondered how she’d fare: “I wasn’t very confident in going into digital because the change was huge.” She was overwhelmed by the amount of new information and an intensive syllabus.

Pennie reflects on how quickly things turned around, though: “The lecturers were actually very encouraging. I would text them and they would respond immediately.” They didn’t doubt her potential for success, and she realized she shouldn’t either. Using Generation’s growth mindset approach, she began to welcome all the new challenges each day brought.

Before graduating, she also took full advantage of the support of industry experts to update her resume and prepare for interviews, crafting a strong case around her unique blend of hard-won experience in advertising and the new skills she had recently acquired.

From digital novice to deep expertise

Pennie was invited to three interviews with Generation employer partners. Three weeks after graduation, she received two job offers and accepted one in the fashion industry, which was particularly appealing to her.

Recently, when Pennie needed to hire a digital marketing associate, she hired a Generation graduate, who is part of her growing team today.

Pennie reflects: “Before I embarked on this two-month course, I knew next to nothing about digital.” In her final interview with her current employer, she happened to see the notes her hiring manager had left behind on the table. Scrawled on the page under “strengths” it read: “Vast knowledge of digital marketing. Excellent grasp of social media. Strong command of online platforms.”

Where is Pennie now?

Pennie has been working as a Marketing Communications Manager for YISHION Singapore for the past five years, consistently growing in her role and pursuing her dreams.

Carolyn felt like she was drifting rather than making a difference. She has two children and five grandchildren and is recently divorced. Before Generation Carolyn didn’t have anything to direct her time to because her grandchildren had grown up and were involved with other interests, leaving her with a lot of free time. She wanted to work, but wasn’t sure what step to take next.

GENERATION WAS A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE

Carolyn found out about Generation and the Administrative Medical Assistant Program from her sister. The program was advertised in an AARP Magazine, and Carolyn was fascinated with medical science and loved clerical work. It seemed like a perfect fit.

A Generation staff member convinced her that, in spite of her age, she could be a valuable asset to the working community. Carolyn didn’t want to allow the opportunity to pass her by and later have any regrets, so she went for it, and she never looked back. She describes the program as “absolutely life-changing.”

“I would (and have already) highly recommended Generation to others. As an Administrative Medical Assistant, skills such as dependability, having a positive attitude, a desire to learn, flexibility, being a team player, having confidentiality and compassion are very important because what you do affects the lives of others.”

IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO BEGIN AGAIN

The most important thing that Carolyn learned is that it is never too late to begin again. She believes there are skills lying dormant within each of us that were learned in days gone by and those skills can be resurfaced and made use of again. She is now working as an administrative medical assistant, and loves her work.

“I was reinvented through the program and now I feel as if I am making a difference in the lives of others. My job is more than just a job to me. I feel like I have stepped into my destiny.”

Meet Aaron, a graduate of the AWS re/Start program in London, UK.

Bolstering a liberal arts background with IT skills is always a good idea. He had previously struggled to find a job, and now he has a promising career in IT as a Junior Infrastructure Engineer. Moreover, he was able to combine his interests in the arts and technology by securing an engineering role at The Royal Opera House.

From Undecided to Unstoppable

Like many young people, Aaron was unsure of what career path to pursue, and that caused him to shift his studies from geography to business to media, and back to geography during college (the two-year period of study in the UK after age 16). He always enjoyed STEM subjects, but simultaneously felt a pull towards the arts.

After college, he went straight to the workforce to pay the bills. He worked odd jobs and looked for courses to get himself centered on a specific career path. He planned to begin a mathematics degree at Open University, but serendipitously found the AWS re/Start course offered in collaboration with Generation and decided to focus his efforts there.

“I wanted to join the program because Generation was offering something unbelievable to me at the time,” he says. “They were willing to take inexperienced and underemployed young people and give them a chance of a lifetime to launch a career in a booming industry. From the get-go, Generation gave me confidence that it was the right path for me to take. And I was so right!”

Launching a Career in IT & Cybersecurity

Aaron found the program equal parts challenging and rewarding. It was the first time he was exposed to IT concepts & coding, so there was a steep learning curve, but he found it fascinating because each concept helped him understand how the world works in a deeper way. IT is the backbone of every industry & business, so the real-world applications of his lessons continued to pile up. This was the biggest difference with his previous studies, which hadn’t prepared him for a specific role.

He graduated in 12 weeks feeling confident in his new technical & behavioral skills. Along the way, Aaron even discovered the area of IT he wants to specialize in: Infrastructure & Cybersecurity. At his new position, he is able to further hone his skills in these areas and has quickly become an essential part of the team.

Enjoying A Life with Financial Security

In addition to immensely improving his self-esteem and feeling like he is making a positive contribution to the world, Aaron has enjoyed his new life and the financial freedoms that come with it.

“My life has changed a huge amount due to my newfound employment!” he says. “I’ve been able to reconnect with friends and enjoy the nightlife of London again. I’ve got myself a gym membership at my local David Lloyd’s club, and I definitely couldn’t afford that before. I’ve also been able to pursue new hobbies and interests of mine. I’m a keen martial artist, and I’m finally able to afford to practice consistently which has been awesome, and has hugely enriched my life.”

Looking back and looking forward

“It’s beautiful to see how everything has come full circle. This was published on the one year anniversary of receiving my Get Into Tech offer. I hope my story encourages others to apply to a Generation programme and change their lives as well.”

From Venezuela to Mexico

As conditions deteriorated in Venezuela, Cesar had no viable pathway to secure a decent quality of life. He made the excruciating decision to leave his home country. After a year of intense effort, he was able to purchase a one-way ticket to Guadalajara, Mexico, with only $500 USD left in his pocket to start a new life.

First, Cesar worked in IT at a local school, but the salary was very low. A young man, alone in a new city, he was unable to meet his own basic needs, like rent, let alone support his family back home.

When he heard about the software developer program at Generation, he jumped at the opportunity. “I started the course, and from there everything began.”

New skills, new hope: Coding & Teamwork

Although, unlike many of his classmates, Cesar had some background in coding, he gushes about the myriad things he learned in the program. “One of the most important things I learned in Generation is how to work in a team. This is an essential skill for working in any software company.”

“Anytime anyone in the class felt overwhelmed, and maybe wanted to give up, Generation mentors were there to tell you: ‘Yes, you can do this! Keep going. Don’t forget the reason why you’re here!’” says Cesar.

Now supporting himself & his family

After Cesar graduated from a Generation program in 2018, he was offered a competitive post with a global company. The new salary would not only easily meet all of his own expenses, but would enable him to regularly send funds to his family in Venezuela. Cesar grasps for words as he recalls this moment, “After everything I’d been through… I felt like I had arrived. I finally did it. There was an unbelievable amount of joy.”

Cesar’s dream now is to continue growing within the company. He is finally comfortable. He’s thinking about buying a car soon. “Generation has given me a lot of hope,” he explains.

Where is Cesar now?

Cesar has grown in his career. Today he serves as a Leader Support Engineer at Sellia Business, a platform that integrates channels such as WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and WebChat for company landing pages. César’s role involves helping companies implement and optimize the platform’s products, enabling them to create automated communication processes such as chatbots, AI agents, and application programming interface (API) integrations. 

“Generation helped me get my first job in the IT industry. It had a good salary, it enabled me to send more money to my family in Venezuela, to rent my own place, and start a family.”

Cesar and his wife now have two children, and he continues to support his family in Venezuela. He is in the process of going through the legal procedures to bring his entire family to Mexico. He looks forward to paying for their journey, buying them a house, and helping his siblings establish themselves professionally in Mexico – just as he was once helped by Generation. 

“Going through the Generation program was like crossing a threshold into another life.”

A diverse set of interests

She’s a biologist, a teacher, and now, a woman in tech! Débora always tried to find the right way to meld her passions: biology and technology. During her Biology studies, she pursued a scientific initiation on computer simulation of biomolecules, and did an exchange program in Italy centered on the principals of bioinformatics.

Débora returned to Brazil to graduate, but wasn’t sure of her next steps. She searched for jobs as a school teacher, but couldn’t find one. She considered doing a master’s degree, but couldn’t decide on a field of study. Finally, she took a teaching job in Portugal.

She returned to Brazil eighteen months later. Both her brother and boyfriend were already working in tech and encouraged her to pursue her childhood passion. Like many young professionals hoping to make a transition to tech, Débora was looking for online courses in the field. Then, she came across the first Generation Brazil program in Java development.

A life-changing program

It seemed like perfect opportunity for her: a programming bootcamp that guaranteed job interviews, focused on young professionals in career transition, and included mentorship. “Generation provided a unique opportunity. I haven’t seen any other programs with transportation support and other costs covered, mentoring, and weekly assistance from a social worker. In addition, there was the dual focus on hard and soft skills.”

Generation also represented a life-change moment: in order to participate in the 12-week program, Débora moved to São Paulo, to live with her sister, away from the city where she lived with her boyfriend. She left the full-time job as a school teacher that she struggled to find. She was determined to become a “woman in tech.”

In no time, Débora received three job offers. She couldn’t believe it, after so many negative experiences trying to find a job. “On the day we graduated from Generation, two superintendents of a major bank asked to talk to me about opportunities in the company. I was initially nervous about the interview but, in the end, the only thing they asked me was which department I’d like to join!”

A lifelong passion for technology

Gilberto has been a tech lover for as long as he can remember. “I’ve handled technological devices since I was 11, and I was a very curious kid. I remember when I got my first videogame, in less than a week I have already opened it to see how it worked inside.”

By the age of 14, Gilberto sought out courses in technology, aiming to specialize in the area during high school. But at the time, he couldn’t find many options and instead started a program on construction and civil engineering.

Unemployed and frustrated

He had some difficulties finding a full-time job in civil engineering, so he started working as a freelancer reformatting computers, going back to his childhood passion. “Fixing computers in the region I lived made me open my mind to the field, I didn’t know the market was so big and growing at such a fast pace.”

One day, Gilberto reached a tipping point. He got a negative answer after an interview for a telemarketing company that left him wondering what to do next. He was unemployed and frustrated, and needed to find a real solution, so he shared his story on a tech Facebook group, asking for recommendations of online courses in tech.

Between tips and comforting words, he saw a comment from one of the organizers of Generation Brazil team inviting him to apply to the first class of the Java Junior Developer program. “She mentioned they had just launched the website. She said I was the very first candidate to apply”.

Not just technical skills

One of the key aspects of his experience with Generation was practicing soft skills. People noticed how much he progressed in these skills during the 12-week program. “They educated me about the market, transformed my usual mindset, and opened my mind. Mentoring was essential — when I got this support, I was able to solve my problems and improve my abilities.”

An entrepreneur is born

Coming out of the program, Gilberto was offered a full-time job in his new field.

When asked about his plans for the future, Gilberto is prompt to answer: “I want to create jobs.” He sees technology skills as the key to employability. Gilberto wants to become an entrepreneur and help others struggling with unemployment.

Time to move

Less than two years ago, Marília decided it was time to breathe some new energy into her life. Leaving her mother’s home, she migrated from Recife to São Paulo, moved into a house with her fiancé, and started a career transition — all at once!

It wouldn’t have taken much longer for Marília to finish her studies in mechanical engineering in Recife, but she couldn’t stand being unemployed for another year. After a few months living in São Paulo, she discovered a new love for information technology during an event. “I loved the way people were welcomed and respected. I was leaning towards changing my career to technology and started studying for the university exams.”

Marília did not make it into university at that time, but found another solution: a tech bootcamp for women. She was devastated when she heard from the two interviewers that, because she had a fiancé who was paying the bills, she didn’t qualify for the opportunity. Marília left the room crying and uncertain about her future.

Generation Was Different

“Generation was different. What I liked most about the selection process is that they asked about me. They wanted to know my story, not my household income or who I lived with. They wanted to know about my greatest challenge — leaving my city, my family.”

Marília was one of 35 students in the first cohort of Generation Brazil, in the Java Junior Developer bootcamp. She was inspired by instructors and classmates, by the diversity of the colleagues she had the opportunity learn with. She found exactly what she was looking for — a bootcamp program where she could explore her potential, learn new skills, and take the first step in a new tech career.

“Before Generation, I knew where I wanted to be and was looking for a way to get there. The bootcamp seemed to be the fastest way, but I kept on studying to enter in a university. After Generation, I was approved and began a data analysis graduate course. Because of Generation, I reached a step in my career that I thought would only be possible two years from now.”