My name is Thomas Mercier, alias “TomCodeur” on Youtube, and I am 24 years old. Almost a year ago, I began a reskilling journey to become a web integrator/web designer.
Looking to transition into web development? Check out the story of how a stay-at-home-mom became a full-time developer.
We are at the end of October. It is a little after 4 p.m., and I am in the office of my employer’s accountant in order to finally sign the termination of my contract.
I say “finally” because this transitional moment had been hard to accomplish. To undergo this reskilling, I had to find a way to finance my training.
My plan was simple: call on Fongecif, an organization accessible to employees wishing to retrain without having to terminate their employment contract.
Rather attractive, isn’t it?
Yes, except that I never managed to benefit from it. And I wasted over a year trying to put together cases that were all turned down.
So, I decided to change my plan and discuss it with my employer. Luckily, my boss was understanding and offered me a mutually agreed departure. The advantage? It provides access to aid for getting back to work, which includes financing for training.
Well, there was still an important step left:
Convincing the French governmental employment agency Pôle emploi of the seriousness of my reskilling project and show that this decision was not taken on a whim.
I told you that I wasted a year before starting my training. In reality, it was not completely the case: during this year, I took the time to inform myself and I discovered multiple web development training courses within the Haut-de-France region.
This research greatly helped me when I had to demonstrate to my government unemployment advisor that I was highly motivated and determined to carry out this project.
During this “lost” year, I also completed a few self-taught development projects. They were greatly appreciated by my advisor and it really made a difference.
My effort and serious commitment paid off in the end. My financing request has been accepted.
So, here I am in the accountant’s office. All the documents have been signed, the withdrawal period has passed and my month’s notice is over. I am finally leaving my company and my current position, on the way to developer training!
Want to know what happened next?
In the three months after I graduated from Pop School, a 6-month boot camp to become a Web & Mobile Web Developer, I had five interviews. Out of those five interviews, I received two offers. This proves that there is work for the reskilled profiles.
(Discover How to Prepare for an IT Job Interview)
So, what do I take away from this whole story? Reskilling cannot be done overnight. It takes a long time, a time in which we doubt and we are afraid of failure. But it is all well worth the effort.
You just have to believe in it and don’t let go!
If I had to give four tips to someone who, like me, to completely change their career and start working as a developer, I would say:
1. Prepare to learn: your brain will be your best friend in this new adventure. So help it receive all the information you are going to feed it.
2. Set up a routine that suits your lifestyle.
3. Eliminate all distractions: organisational tools and lo-fi music … give yourself every chance to stay focused and be productive.
4. Test your future job: you must ask yourself if it is possible … but know that there are different ways to do it and that this initiative will teach you a lot about your future job.
The final word? Stay motivated and don’t give up!
For more advice on how to get started in your web developer career or transition into development, make sure to follow Thomas on YouTube and through his website.
