How Code First Girl's Mid-Level Accelerator helped me grow my career in tech
Ready to progress your tech career? Join Lakshmi and Urszula as they share their transformative experiences with the Code First Girls Mid-Level Accelerator course.
5 min read
How do you advance your career in tech? Lakshmi Kaneti and Urszula Perry share how Code First Girls’ Mid-Level Accelerator (MLA) course allowed them to advance their careers in tech. The MLA is a 16-week course designed to take those with 1.5 years of experience to the next level in their tech careers!
What motivated you to apply for the MLA?
- Lakshmi: I was motivated to apply for the Code First Girls Mid-Level Accelerator (MLA) Programme because I was eager to advance my technical skills and enhance my career prospects in the tech industry. I wanted to bridge the gap between my current knowledge and the advanced skills required for more senior roles. Additionally, I was inspired by CFG’s mission to support women and non-binary in tech.
- Urszula: I work as Tech Senior Product Owner, I was always drawn into engineering and tech. I want to stay in touch with the latest tech trends and gain more confidence to navigate through the tech organisations as a female. I was always interested by how engineers use CI/CD but never understood it as well. The MLA gave me a lot of knowledge, but as well as a practical application of building modern software.
“Learning new programming languages and frameworks allowed me to take on more complex projects and contribute more effectively to my team.”
How did you find the teaching quality and educational content of the MLA overall?
- Lakshmi: The teaching quality and educational content of the MLA were exceptional. The instructors were highly knowledgeable and passionate about their subjects, which made learning engaging and effective. The curriculum was well-structured, covering a broad range of advanced topics that were both challenging and relevant to the industry. The blend of theoretical knowledge and practical application through hands-on projects was particularly beneficial.
- Urszula: Really high standard, teaching in-line with the latest tech trends. Teachers were always available, responsive and willing to help us, they gave us confidence and motivation. The content was interesting, a great mix of tech skills, tech professional skills and soft skills development.
How did the material you learned during the MLA complement your current role?
- Lakshmi: The material I learned during the MLA complemented my current role significantly. I was able to upskill in areas such as advanced programming, data analysis, and web development, which directly enhanced my productivity and effectiveness at work. For instance, learning new programming languages and frameworks allowed me to take on more complex projects and contribute more effectively to my team.
- Urszula: I use GIT, CI/CD every day, and also PR reviews, the content helped me to understand how the software is built so I can apply this to everyday meetings when I discuss the roadmaps, tech designs with architects, migrations, tech debt etc.
The blend of theoretical knowledge and practical application through hands-on projects was particularly beneficial.
Can you share a specific highlight of your MLA experience?
- Lakshmi: One specific highlight of my MLA experience was working on a fitness tracker app. We worked in teams to develop comprehensive software and an amazing user interface. This project not only allowed me to apply the skills I had learned but also taught me valuable lessons in teamwork, project management, and problem-solving. Collaborating with my peers, brainstorming solutions, and presenting our work during the sprint end sessions was an amazing experience overall.
- Urszula: The highlight for me was building frontend in React and deploying my own work via CI/CD GitHub, and the fact that I could create a new branch, Pull Request (PR), merge my PR, and see how the changes were implemented on the UI.
The T-shaped skills, curriculum and challenging project ensured that I developed a deep understanding of complex concepts and honed my problem-solving abilities.
Could you elaborate on how the MLA has equipped you to pursue more senior tech roles?
- Lakshmi: The MLA has equipped me to pursue more senior tech roles by providing me with advanced technical skills, industry insights, and professional confidence. The T-shaped skills, curriculum, and challenging project ensured that I developed a deep understanding of complex concepts and honed my problem-solving abilities. The mentorship and career support offered by CFG were invaluable in helping me identify and prepare for senior roles.
Additionally, the networking opportunities and connections I made during the programme have opened doors to new career prospects. Overall, the MLA has empowered me to take on leadership roles and contribute at a higher level in the tech industry. - Urszula: My MLA degree was part of the CFG Scholars programme as I am quite happy in my own career – as a Senior Product Owner/Senior Product Manager, it is something I have done for over 10+ years. The MLA helped me further in my role by providing me the skills and knowledge to communicate more effectively with my team, while also providing hands-on experience in building modern software.
