How I Navigated Stressors While Career Switching into Tech

Experiencing homelessness, divorce, single parenting and bipolar all while changing careers is not something that I've read about or even heard about. In fact, much of my multifaceted intersectionality is not something that I've found camaraderie with in tech. I've often thought to myself, "do people just not talk about these things or is this really not the reality of people currently in tech?"

Realizing the impact of my story has been teaching, I didn't realize that so many people along side me trying to "break into tech" can relate to one part (or more) of my story. I didn't decide to "break into tech", it came to me out of sheer passion to give back to the community when I saw that San Francisco resources weren't technologically interconnected on one platform for its recipients. I decided to learn to build when I became a consumer of these resources while experiencing hardship and housing displacement after moving back into the Bay Area. I had the privilege of participating in the first iteration of such a platform while working with Code Tenderloin as a Microsoft Fellow. 

When I looked for schooling I wanted something that would accommodate said obstacles, which most in person and online schools are not set up for. I began rejecting full scholarships to well known bootcamps because of this and began negotiating accommodations for success. Many didn't fit the bill, until I participated in Techtonica. I was honest with myself about possible obstacles I might experience during my transition, communicated this to the program, and worked on building a network of support while creating open dialogue with mentors and educational staff.

So to make it plain for those balancing stressors and changing careers getting into tech, here's what I've did (and still do) that's been successful. Give it a try:

• Find a professional family. Identify groups and / or people that identify with building safe spaces and opportunities for people that experience similar stressors you might be currently or forecast facing. This will save on anxiety when networking and further help with interpersonal and technical skill building.
• Don't accept opportunities out of sheer graciousness and need for experience! This can be hard and actually the opposite of what most the industry is going to tell you when starting out, but your sanity is more important. Weigh in on how opportunities will add to your allostatic load and if the experience will have built in tools and / or people to help you navigate the new stressors that come with the opportunity.
• Speak your truth. There are gendered, cultured, and social stigmas around asking for help. Throw this into the wind, you are building a plan for success, you need a supportive army behind you. Find key stakeholders and begin conversations around what can minimize identified stressors. Ask about resources, people and programs they can connect you to that align with your goal to "break into tech" and candidly tell them how you'd like them to help you.
• Schedule your check ins. You are going to be busy. Whether it's networking, studying, commuting, interviewing, caring for a family, etc. Reserve time ahead of the chaos to identify where you are floating amongst it all and where your mental and physical barometer are at relative to your normative. Identify activities or practices that you can do daily or every few days for mindfulness. This last piece is important, changing careers can be a new type of stressor in its own, so planning to be equipped ahead of time will save you lots of doubtful and unraveled days.
• Be clear about your built in accommodations. If you are starting a new role or program, be decisive about how you communicate your needs and support. If you are going into an environment that has a rigid schedule, make it known that you will require self care days or time off for therapy to ensure you are most successful. If consistent group participation is required, you may need to communicate some work styles that best support minimizing fatigue. For example, when beginning you can communicate with a manager that you require a quiet work setting some days and create a regularly reserved solitary work space or build in more frequent breaks (pomodoros are great).

I realize that what I've experienced within the year of changing careers is unique. Most would've taken pause at the transition considering all the shakeups, but I figured I've experienced obstacles my entire life. That's the forced upon strength that comes from growing up within the constructs of socioeconomic, gender and racial divides.

I challenge those coming into tech from nontraditional experiences, to push back onto your journey into tech. Access tech in a way that forces it to look at the story beyond its current narrative, and make it pave you a customized path that creates safe spaces for others like you.

What are you doing to catalyze your experience?