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Upskilling While Employed: A Journey of Continuous Learning with Alison

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Upskilling While Employed: A Journey of Continuous Learning with Alison

In today’s rapidly evolving workplace, staying ahead means continuously updating your skills and knowledge. Anas Malik Radif Alubaidi, a clinical research coordinator and public health medicine practice advocate, shares his experience with Alison, highlighting the impact of upskilling while employed. His story serves as a foundation for understanding the significance of keeping pace with industry trends, learning new skills, and how Alison facilitates this journey of growth and advancement.

The Power of Flexibility and Accessibility

One of the greatest challenges for working professionals is finding the time to pursue further education. Anas points out how Alison’s flexible online courses perfectly cater to this need. These courses are accessible at any time, from anywhere, and on any device, making them ideally suited for busy workers. This level of accessibility ensures that learning can be seamlessly integrated into one’s daily routine without disrupting work commitments or personal life.

Keeping Up with Industry Trends

The medical field, like many others, is constantly advancing. New discoveries, practices, and technologies emerge, making it essential for professionals to stay informed and skilled. Alison’s rich, up-to-date course materials are designed to enhance learners’ understanding and keep them abreast of the latest developments in their field. Anas’s experience underscores the importance of such resources in maintaining a competitive edge in the workplace.

Diverse Learning Opportunities

Alison offers a wide array of free courses across various disciplines, providing learners with the opportunity to diversify their knowledge and skills. Whether a Certificate or a Diploma course, Alison’s courses are recognised and valued by employers and institutions worldwide. This variety not only allows professionals to deepen their expertise in specific areas but also to explore new interests and career paths.

The Impact of Continuous Learning

For Anas, Alison has been a pivotal resource in advancing his medical knowledge and practice. The well-designed and self-paced courses, equipped with informative curriculums, have significantly improved his understanding of various medical topics. This continuous learning journey has not only enriched his professional life but has also empowered him to advocate for public health medicine more effectively.

In an era where knowledge and skills become obsolete rapidly, upskilling is no longer optional but a necessity. Anas Malik Radif Alubaidi’s story with Alison illuminates the path for professionals seeking to enhance their expertise while balancing work and personal commitments. It’s a reminder that learning is a lifelong process and that platforms like Alison are here to support that journey, offering flexible, accessible, and diverse learning opportunities. Let’s embrace the culture of continuous learning and stay ahead in our respective fields, inspired by stories like Anas’s.

What’s the Greatest Gift Your Parents Have Given You?

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What’s the Greatest Gift Your Parents Have Given You?

Empathy. Kindness. Hard work. Success. Wonder. What kinds of values and life lessons have your parents shared or taught you? Which have been most meaningful or valuable?

In the Opinion essay “One Thing Parents Can Control,” Esau McCaulley writes that parents cannot shield their sons and daughters from the world’s difficulties but can try to counter those things with joy:

My father was a long-haul truck driver. He piloted one of those eighteen-wheelers that had a horn that could raise the dead. As a kid, I longed to join him on his journeys and discover something of the world beyond Huntsville, Ala., where we lived.

Despite his numerous promises, he never took me along. That failure, and the addictions of his that defined much of my childhood, gave me an education of a different sort. I learned that the world could be cruel and disappointing.

Now that I am a father, I struggle with how much of that hard world to reveal to my sons and daughters. I recognize the privilege in even considering this. Parents of children in Gaza and Ukraine do not have the luxury of deciding whether to tell their young ones of evils done and all the good left undone. Bombs descending from above, indifferent to the innocence of youth, have become their instructors.

I believe that we all have a moral duty not to turn away from such suffering. During dinner my family and I have talked and prayed about war, poverty, racism and injustice. My hope is that if we instill a sense of empathy in our children, they might create a better world than the one we have made.

Mr. McCaulley continues:

Since December, my family and I have been abroad while I am on a research sabbatical in England. My 9-year-old son, Peter, a huge soccer fan, dreamed of seeing a Premier League match. He was persistent in the way only elementary school children can be. He arrived in Britain a Manchester City fan, but I couldn’t get tickets. When I managed to secure two Tottenham Hotspur seats, he immediately switched allegiances.

Watching Peter’s eyes widen as he approached the stadium, joy emanating from his tiny frame, was like that first ray of light after a downpour.

Son Heung-min, who is also a standout on the South Korea national team, is the Spurs’ star and captain. Our seats seemed to be in the part of the stadium filled with Koreans. The red, blue, white and black South Korean flag and the national pride it represented rippled in the wind beside Hotspur flags. The team itself was gloriously international with players from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and South America all working together on the beautiful game. For a moment, sport had united us, and my son got to see the world as friendly and good.

He concludes the essay:

It is hard to predict the impact of these experiences. Parents can only make deposits of joy. We cannot control when our children will make the withdrawals. Did my mother know that I would always remember that one time she took us all to the (now defunct) Opryland U.S.A. theme park in Nashville? I am not sure what the Hotspur game will mean to my youngest son two decades from now. But that day he was happy, and knowing that will have to be enough.

Parenting is always an exercise in hope, a gift given to a future we cannot see to the end. At some point, if God is merciful, our children will continue forward without us, left with the memory of love shared and received.

We are entrusted with the awesome responsibility of introducing our children to the world and the world to our children. We cannot and should not shield them from all difficulty. But it’s also necessary, periodically, to be a bit irresponsible, to spend a little too much on a soccer game so they remember that alongside the darkness, sometimes there is light. Come on, you Spurs.

Students, read the entire essay and then tell us:

  • What’s the greatest gift your parents have given you? Explain why it stands out among the many values and life lessons they have bestowed.

  • What aspects of Mr. McCaulley’s essay resonate most? Do you agree with his contention that joy is an essential gift that parents should give to their children? In what ways is joy present in your own life?

  • If you become a parent, what gift or lesson would you most want to give to your children?

  • While Mr. McCaulley believes parents should center joy in their children’s lives, he says, “We cannot and should not shield them from all difficulty.” How much of the suffering and injustice in today’s world do your parents share and discuss with you? Do you think that is the right amount?

  • Mr. McCaulley concludes his essay with a parent’s lament: “It is hard to predict the impact of these experiences. Parents can only make deposits of joy. We cannot control when our children will make the withdrawals.” Do your parents know any of the joys, gifts or magical moments they have given you? Consider sharing your writing with them. They will likely cherish it!

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.

An Elevator Filled With Robots

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An Elevator Filled With Robots

What do you think this image is saying? How does it relate to or comment on society or current events? Can you relate to it personally? What is your opinion of its message?

Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to learn more.

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Picture Prompts here.

Word of the Day: erudition

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Word of the Day: erudition

The word erudition has appeared in 26 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Sept. 9 in “How Lauren Groff, One of ‘Our Finest Living Writers,’ Does Her Work” by Elizabeth A. Harris:

Groff, who has a goofy sense of humor and an unpretentious erudition, was raised in Cooperstown, N.Y., in a family of athletes. Her sister, Sarah True, was an Olympic triathlete. Groff played soccer at Amherst College and met her husband, Clay Kallman, on the crew team. Kallman said when they first got serious, he started running marathons to up his game.

… Groff will drop quotes into casual conversation, citing, say, Frank Lloyd Wright’s take on form and function, but she manages to do this in an entirely unaffected way, just tossing out an interesting nugget for consideration. Her editor, McGrath, said that Groff reread all of Shakespeare so she could write a version of “The Vaster Wilds” in iambic pentameter “just for fun,” as a way for her to master Elizabethan rhythms. (The final book is not in iambic pentameter.)

Can you correctly use the word erudition in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

If you want a better idea of how erudition can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com. You can also visit this guide to learn how to use IPA symbols to show how different words are pronounced.

If you enjoy this daily challenge, try our vocabulary quizzes.

Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.

The Word of the Day is provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.

Coursera Receives Industry-first Authorized Instructional Platform Designation from the American Council on Education

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Coursera Receives Industry-first Authorized Instructional Platform Designation from the American Council on Education

By Jeff Maggioncalda, Coursera CEO 

In a world of accelerating change, learners and institutions are looking for three things to ensure their online learning investment is worth it: high-quality education and training from trusted sources, a highly engaging learning experience, and a high level of assurance that learning will be recognized and valued by employers and universities. 

Today, I am excited to announce that Coursera is the first online learning platform to receive the Authorized Instructional Platform designation from the American Council of Education (ACE©) for academic integrity, security, and rigor of its learning experience. This approval also boosts the market value of industry-authored courses and credentials on Coursera that have earned ACE© credit recommendations. 

As an Authorized Instructional Platform, Coursera’s assessment framework, course design, and teaching and learning experience meet ACE’s rigorous psychometric, technology, and information security standards. It also means that courses that obtained ACE credit recommendations off-platform will maintain their recommendations if added to the Coursera platform.

“ACE’s partnership with Coursera will play an increasingly crucial role in assuring that non-traditional learning and industry training meets the rigorous standards deserving of academic credit. By providing a consistent and trusted framework for evaluation and value recognition, we can help industry and academia speak the same language, scale for-credit learning across entire systems of higher education, and equip large populations of students for jobs of the future.”

– Ted Mitchell, ACE President

ACE Credit Recommendations: making it easier to give and get academic credit for skills training and online learning

In addition to reviewing the platform experience, ACE also evaluates non-traditional learning content, including online courses and industry micro-credentials, and recommends how many academic credits a higher education institution may recognize for each one. Today, over 25 Professional Certificates and Specializations on Coursera from top companies, including Google, IBM, Meta, and DeepLearning.AI, have earned ACE or European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credit recommendations.

For learners, ACE credit recommendations can:

  • Make it easier to earn academic credit for courses taken outside of academic institutions. For example, a learner who completes the Google IT Support Certificate can share their digital transcript with ACE credit endorsement for their local university’s approval directly through the Credly platform.
  • Enable faster progress toward a larger credential like a degree. For example, three degrees from Illinois Institute of Technology on Coursera recognize credit for 15 certifications or Specializations, allowing eligible learners to start learning before enrolling in the full degree.
  • Validate that learners’ educational investment is recognized by the market.

For institutions, ACE credit recommendations help:

  • Provide certainty that online learning programs are quality-assured, increasing employer trust and confidence in the credential value and skills of job applicants.
  • Simplify credit recognition for job training and career credentials that otherwise wouldn’t be offered on campus. For example, universities across the University of Texas System are integrating industry micro-credentials into their on-campus degree programs for credit.
  • Remove barriers to degree pathways to reach more students. For example, Empire State University (SUNY Empire), which reviews and accepts credit for prior learning for ACE credit recommended courses, partnered with the New York State Department of Labor to enable unemployed New Yorkers to transfer credits from eligible courses on Coursera into any of their 125 bachelor’s and associate degree programs.

“We are thrilled to see ACE recognize the transformative potential of industry micro-credentials, including Google Career Certificates, to bring higher education and industry closer together and unlock more economic opportunity for learners. As pioneers in this space, we are committed to expanding access to education and creating flexible pathways for learners to achieve outcomes, whether that’s starting a new career, developing in-demand professional skills, or earning credit towards a degree.”

– Lisa Gevelber, Grow with Google Founder

The ACE Authorized Instructional Platform designation provides a powerful testament to the quality, rigor, and integrity of the online learning experience underpinning every assessment, course, and credential from the world’s top universities and companies on Coursera. We look forward to continue working with ACE and our industry, university, and campus partners to offer and verify high-quality online learning and certificate programs, establish innovative cross-sector partnership models for large-scale programs, and create more pathways to education and economic opportunity for learners. 

To learn more about content that has received ACE Credit Recommendations on Coursera, visit the FAQ page. For more information about Coursera for Campus, visit coursera.org/campus.

GRAMMY GO™ partners with Coursera to educate and inspire artists on a worldwide scale

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GRAMMY GO™ partners with Coursera to educate and inspire artists on a worldwide scale

Courses will feature appearances from top artists and executives, including Victoria Monet, Janelle Monáe, and Jimmy Jam

By Marni Baker Stein, Chief Content Officer, Coursera

Today, GRAMMY GO™, a new online initiative from the Recording Academy®, is partnering with Coursera to offer music learning programs to aspiring artists around the world.  GRAMMY GO’s first Specialization, Building Your Audience for Music Professionals, is available today. This summer, GRAMMY GO will expand their catalog with a new Music Production Specialization, now available for pre-enrollment.

This partnership  is designed to harness the energy of creator-to-creator learning to grow a vibrant, diverse, and global music community. GRAMMY GO makes the wisdom and experience of GRAMMY® winners and nominees, Recording Academy members, and industry pros accessible in practical, up-to-the moment courses and content designed for creatives and industry professionals looking to build a future in music.

“Whether it be through a GRAMMY Museum ® program, GRAMMY Camp ® or GRAMMY U ® , the GRAMMY organization is committed to helping the next generation of creators flourish, and the Recording Academy is proud to introduce our newest higher learning opportunity with GRAMMY GO in partnership with Coursera,” said Panos A. Panay, President of the Recording Academy. “A creator’s music education is ongoing, and these courses have been crafted to provide participants with the essential tools to grow in their professional and creative journeys.”

GRAMMY GO content on Coursera features real-world advice from leading artists and producers. In Building Your Audience for Music Professionals, GRAMMY nominees and winners Jimmy Jam, Janelle Monáe, and Victoria Monét share advice on how to develop a strong brand presence and cultivate a devoted audience. Through case studies and hands-on activities, learners will understand how to craft a unique brand identity, connect with listeners, and effectively market themselves to stand out.

In the forthcoming Music Production Specialization, acclaimed musicians, vocalists, songwriters, producers, and audio engineers, including Harvey Mason jr., Stevie Mackey, Judith Sherman, Cirkut, and Hit-Boy, share insights from collaborating with musical legends like Elton John, JAY-Z, Jennifer Lopez, and Britney Spears. They’ll teach learners how to compose and produce chart-topping music, from covering the fundamentals of sound theory to perfecting vocals and refining tracks in hands-on projects. 

We are honored to partner with  GRAMMY GO and the Recording Academy to help empower the next generation of the music industry.

Enroll in the Building Your Audience for Music Professionals Specialization, and pre-enroll in the Music Production Specialization today.

Has Your Birth Order Shaped Who You Are?

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Has Your Birth Order Shaped Who You Are?

Where do you fall in the family birth order? Are you the eldest? The middle child? The youngest? Or are you an only child? Do you think your placement has affected your life and how your family sees and treats you?

In “Why Your Big Sister Resents You,” Catherine Pearson explores the question of whether birth order shapes who we are or not:

In a TikTok video that has been watched more than 6 million times, Kati Morton, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Santa Monica, Calif., lists signs that she says can be indicative of “eldest daughter syndrome.”

Among them: an intense feeling of familial responsibility, people-pleasing tendencies and resentment toward your siblings and parents.

On X, a viral post asks: “are u happy or are u the oldest sibling and also a girl.”

Firstborn daughters are having a moment in the spotlight, at least online, with memes and think pieces offering a sense of gratification to responsible, put-upon big sisters everywhere. But even mental health professionals like Ms. Morton — herself the youngest in her family — caution against putting too much stock in the psychology of sibling birth order, and the idea that it shapes personality or long-term outcomes.

“People will say, ‘It means everything!’ Other people will say, ‘There’s no proof,’” she said, noting that eldest daughter syndrome (which isn’t an actual mental health diagnosis) may have as much to do with gender norms as it does with birth order. “Everybody’s seeking to understand themselves, and to feel understood. And this is just another page in that book.”

The article examines what the research says about birth order:

The stereotypes are familiar to many of us: Firstborn children are reliable and high-achieving; middle children are sociable and rebellious (and overlooked); and youngest children are charming and manipulative.

Studies have indeed found ties between a person’s role in the family lineup and various outcomes, including educational attainment and I.Q. (though those scores are not necessarily reliable measures of intelligence), financial risk tolerance and even participation in dangerous sports. But many studies have focused on a single point in time, cautioned Rodica Damian, a social-personality psychologist at the University of Houston. That means older siblings may have appeared more responsible or even more intelligent simply because they were more mature than their siblings, she said, adding that the sample sizes in most birth order studies have also been relatively small.

In larger analyses, the link between birth order and personality traits appears much weaker. A 2015 study looking at more than 20,000 people in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States found no link between birth order and personality characteristics — though the researchers did find evidence that older children have a slight advantage in I.Q. (So, eldest daughters, take your bragging rights where you can get them.)

Dr. Damian worked on a different large-scale study, also published in 2015, that included more than 370,000 high schoolers in the United States. It found slight differences in personality and intelligence, but the differences were so small, she said, that they were essentially meaningless. Dr. Damian did allow that cultural practices such as property or business inheritance (which may go to the firstborn) might affect how birth order influences family dynamics and sibling roles.

Students, read the entire article and then tell us:

  • How has birth order shaped who you are? What do you see as the burdens and benefits of being a child in your birth position?

  • If you’re an only child, how do you think not having siblings has shaped who you are? How might your personality be different if you had a brother or a sister?

  • What in the article resonates most with your own experiences? Have you ever noticed patterns of behavior based on birth order in your own family? Ms. Pearson writes, “The stereotypes are familiar to many of us: Firstborn children are reliable and high-achieving; middle children are sociable and rebellious (and overlooked); and youngest children are charming and manipulative.” Do you think there is any truth to these stereotypes? Or are they meaningless generalizations — or even harmful?

  • The article describes the pitfalls of “eldest daughter syndrome.” Have you ever felt hemmed in or saddled by certain expectations because of your birth order? What would you like your siblings — and your parents — to know about what your particular position in the family is like?

  • How much stock should we put into the psychology of birth order? Is it an illuminating way to understand our families and ourselves? Or too broad to describe or predict an individual’s personality?

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.

2,000 Bags

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2,000 Bags

A glamorous Louis Vuitton, Gucci or Fendi. A stunning thrift store find. Or perhaps your beat-up old school knapsack? Do you have a favorite bag?

The Times’s T Magazine interviewed the Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist about her collection of over 2,000 bags:

Rist believes that the bag was one of the first human tools. With a bag, she says, “you have what you need and are independent — and you’re always ready for a possible escape.” But Rist, 61, also considers a bag to be many things besides: a good friend, a portrait of its owner, a universe unto itself and a vessel — similar to the human body. At its heart, Rist says, her collection is “a phenomenological investigation into how many bags come together when a 60-something-year-old Central European woman doesn’t throw anything away.”

What’s your reaction to Ms. Rist’s collection of bags? How many bags do you own? Would you want to own 2,000?

What do you look for in a bag? Color? Style? Brand? Practicality? How important are bags to you? Do you agree with Ms. Rist that a good bag is like a good friend?

Tell us in the comments, then read the related T Magazine article to learn more about Ms. Rist’s fascination with bags.

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Picture Prompts here.

Word of the Day: sparse

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Word of the Day: sparse

The word sparse has appeared in 194 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Jan. 26 in “What Do You Call a Galaxy Without Stars?” by Dennis Overbye:

Dark galaxies are entities whose stars are so sparse and faint that their light cannot be discerned other than as a thin, transparent haze that doesn’t seem to contain any stars at all. (Early on, dark galaxies were referred to as “low surface-brightness galaxies” or “ultra-diffuse galaxies,” but time and jargon march on.) As astronomers continue to probe deeper into the skies with more powerful and smarter eyes, dark galaxies have begun popping up more frequently, challenging long-held views about the formation and evolution of galaxies.

… These dim ghosts are hard to find and even harder to study, requiring hours or days of observation to bring their visible starlight into focus. One way is to scan the heavens with radio telescopes tuned to the frequency of the interstellar hydrogen gas that pervades galaxies.

Can you correctly use the word sparse in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

If you want a better idea of how sparse can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com. You can also visit this guide to learn how to use IPA symbols to show how different words are pronounced.

If you enjoy this daily challenge, try our vocabulary quizzes.

Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.

The Word of the Day is provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.

How I Went From IT Consultant to Software Engineer in 1 Year

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How I Went From IT Consultant to Software Engineer in 1 Year

Learning to code so that you can land a job in tech can feel daunting. That’s why we’re sharing inspiring stories from Codecademy’s community — to show how people like you (yes, you!) can embark on a learning journey and end up with a totally new career. We hope these stories serve as a reminder that there’s no single path to a more fulfilling work life. 

Today’s story is from Fabrizio Bertoglio, a 36-year-old React Native Engineer at Expensify, living in Bali, Indonesia. Read more stories from Codecademy learners here — and be sure to share your story here. 

Why I chose to learn to code 

“I dabbled in coding as a kid and found that I enjoyed it. I always knew I had an interest in technology and wanted to work remotely. Programming seemed like the perfect opportunity for me, especially given my interest in the field. 

So, I committed to spending about an hour each night on Codecademy for a month. I began with JavaScript, and to my surprise, I made significant progress by dedicating just one hour per day. This motivated me to continue, and I maintained high expectations for my progress. Gradually, I transitioned from my role as an IT Consultant to a Software Engineer. 

After completing the Codecademy course, I secured a job in Munich and moved there. This move gave me an opportunity to further enhance my skills through professional experience.”  

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How I made time to learn 

“I started with one hour per night. I did the JavaScript course, and when I realized there was potential, I found myself in a situation where switching careers was a viable option. I decided to fully commit and dedicated myself to coding full-time for a month, doing the Full-Stack Engineer career path with Codecademy, which covers everything from backend to frontend technologies. 

After that, I began traveling in Asia. I moved to Bali and began developing mobile apps and web applications. I was a little bit inspired by other digital nomads like Pieter Levels who were building and launching their own apps, which motivated me to follow a similar path. Working remotely and learning to code while building apps seemed like the ideal route for me. I spent six months developing different apps, which significantly helped me consolidate my skills.”  

How I saved up money to switch careers 

“I worked on managing my expenses and saving money a lot. I utilized a mobile app to record every expense manually, like dining out to any other expenditure. It was very tedious and annoying, but it helped me monitor my spending habits closely, especially in certain categories. I consistently reviewed my budget and identified areas where I tended to overspend and focused on free activities. 

Living in Bali, Indonesia, made it significantly cheaper for me. When I was in Europe and working, I could save a lot of money because I controlled my expenses pretty well. I quit drinking [alcohol] and replaced it with Coca-Cola Zero, or I substituted fun activities with other alternatives, such as visiting waterfalls or surfing. Additionally, I read a lot of books about self-improvement.”  

How long it took me to land a job 

“I started coding in 2017 on Codecademy, and my first job was in 2018. I started contributing to the React Native open-source project in 2020 and I began working at Meta as a part-time contractor in 2022.” 

How I got in the door 

“After contributing to the React Native open-source project for two years, I started working as a contractor at Meta. Now I continue to work on their open-source project with Expensify.” 

How I evaluated the offer 

“I believe it’s a lot about your day-to-day work and continually developing and building upon the interest and passion for your work as a Software Engineer. I am particularly interested in specializing in a specific area and becoming an expert in that field. I’ve had the opportunity for a relatively long time to specialize in this area and I’m striving to become an expert in it to bring more value to my work — and I find it more personally fulfilling.”  

How day one and beyond went 

“Before when I was an IT consultant, I did see a little bit of code, but I was never actually writing it or committing it to production. So, it was a big opportunity for me, which was rewarding, and I did learn a lot. It was a significant step in my career. Starting at Meta was much, much easier because I had already contributed to the open-source project for a long time. When I started working with them, I had already made significant contributions and gained valuable experience.” 

What I wish I knew before I started learning 

“When I started, Codecademy was very good because it kept me motivated, and did not make it too difficult to start. I did try to start coding before, but I failed. I think actually learning was a big step. I would not change anything in my career, even though I could do many things better. I will do this work for the rest of my life — I’m happy that I found something that keeps me interested.”  

Not sure where to start? Check out our personality quiz! We’ll help you find the best programming language to learn based on your strengths and interests. 

Want to share your Codecademy learner story? Drop us a line here. And don’t forget to join the discussions in our community. 

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