Exponential Growth - How to Break Into Tech

“I was so excited with the idea of not having to wear coveralls again.” Just a few years ago, Geraldo Gomes was working on oil rigs. Today he writes software from his home office. In this conversation he shares his story of overcoming addiction and an unsustainable career path to move into one he previously only ever dreamed of.

Despite humble beginnings, Lyssa Jackson developed a strong sense of self worth and belief in herself at an early age. The seeds of entrepreneurship were planted during high school, when none other than LinkedIn Founder Reid Hoffman gave a speech at her school, along with a copy of a book that would completely change her life. It wasn't a straight line, but Lyssa overcame adversity from all an...

A few years ago, Khalid Warsame drove trucks for a living, spending more time away than he did at home. Today, he works from his home office as a flutter developer. He shares his journey, which included starting his own companies, finding inspiration from YouTube creators and explaining how he worked through rejection and bumps along the way. - Khalid's Website: https://khalidwar.com/ - Khalid...

Growing up,  John Bui  never pictured himself in a corporate job. A career in tech? Not in his wildest dreams. John faced a lot of pressure to succeed from an early age. This led him into a field he didn't enjoy. Despite the setbacks, John followed his interests. He refused to settle as he slowly blazed a trail into tech, working at several startups. In this weeks conversation, John shares the...

Andrew Clarkson used to change jobs every year. But he wasn't wandering aimlessly; he had a plan. Andrew learned something something from each, snowballing into a career that now finds him working from his home office. He talks about his foray into programming, how he learned to code, and shares the networking techniques that helped land his first job in tech. Additional Resources: - Andrew&#3...

It was September, 2016. Zubin was sitting in bed, when he came across a quote that would alter his life trajectory: “He who says he can and he who says he can’t are both usually right.” Zubin didn’t sleep that night. In the blink of an eye, he taught himself to code, and soon found himself working alongside some of the brightest engineers in the world at Google. Additional Information: - LinkedIn:...

Business school. Marketing intern. School teacher. Katherine Lewis walked many paths before landing a role at LinkedIn as a Reach Apprentice UX Engineer. When she decided to pursue a career in tech, she flipped the script on the traditional job search, landing multiple offers. Katherine shares her stance on mindset, positive thinking and overcoming adversity. If you think the best way to land that...

She didn’t graduate from college. At times, she was told she’d never succeed. None of that stopped Liz Wheeles from making moves that eventually saw her work at some of the biggest companies in tech. Today, she's a Principal Program Manager at LinkedIn.

“I have to grow, or I have to go.” Groomed to go to college, Cynthia Pottin initially pursued a medical path, falling in love with anatomy and physiology. This led her to chiropractor school, which resulted in her opening and operating her own practice for half a decade. She then met her future husband, who was enlisted in the military. The constant relocation requirements eventually caused her to...

A former psychology major and pharmacy tech, Deya Garcia eventually found a path to tech through a combination of interest-led learning and support from her friends and family. Today, she's a Customer Security Specialist at LinkedIn, and also a content creator.  Additional Info: ⭐️ Deya's LinkedIn Profile ⭐️ Deya's Newsletter: Stories of Chicago

Growing up, Barry Johnson thought he wanted to be a lawyer. In college, he discovered he wasn’t interested in pursuing that path, and embarked on a journey of self discovery that eventually landed him a role at LinkedIn as an Apprentice backend engineer. Additional information: ⭐️ LinkedIn Profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/barryjjohnson11/ Mentioned Resources (includes affiliate links): 📖 At...

A former security guard, Justice Sanders had a desire to become more. He explains how he studied different fields to increase his knowledge, and taught himself to code. He overcomes tremendous adversity and today is a Third Party Security Analyst at LinkedIn. Additional Information: ⭐️ Justice's LinkedIn Profile ⭐️ Year Up Program  Mentioned Resources (Includes Affiliate Links): 📖 Talking...

Madiha Goheer grew up in Pakistan, the youngest of 7 siblings. From an early age, she showed signs of wanting to prove herself capable in a society that didn’t provide equal rights to women. After coming to the US, Madiha built a mini-makeup empire, before COVID and the birth of her first child caused her to regroup. Refusing to yield, Madiha explored her interests, began studying programming, att...

Growing up in China, Joan Li was exposed to markets and business at an early age. She came to America for college, studying Geography "just because." She didn't have any plans when she graduated. She didn't apply to any jobs and felt like she was far behind everyone else.  But instead of thinking that she was stuck, she drove to New York and started networking. She found an internship in the...

Joey Cruz came from humble beginnings.  He scrimped and saved for years to buy his first computer. Supported his family when most were playing outside. Put himself through college.  Found a home in the Marine Corps.  He knew he wanted to work in tech, but he didn’t know how. He most certainly figured it out.  Today, he’s a Principal Product Manager at Microsoft, and is building...

Growing up in an unprivileged and underserved area, Computer Science wasn’t even on L.E. Nichols' map. She didn’t let that stop her from diving into code head first, later surfacing as an Engineering Manager at the Scratch Foundation.  Along the way, L.E. created an astonishing portfolio of work, published books and founded several communities, including a non-profit. Additional information:...

A former Psychology and Theater major, Geri Silver followed a path of interest-led learning and eventually broke into tech at Quora. Today, she’s a Senior Growth and Product Strategy Manager at LinkedIn. In this episode, we explore her path into tech, which included a year abroad, battling career uncertainty and learning to craft her story. Additional information: 🌟 Geri's LinkedIn Profile Mentio...

Bartender. Voice actor. Architect. Devin Krizwold tried a little bit of everything before becoming a Site Reliability Engineer at LinkedIn. He overcomes an early struggle with formal education, embarks in a cross-country trip to find himself and tells the tale of applying to LinkedIn from the beaches of Hawaii.  Additional information: LinkedIn Profile GitHub Mentioned Resources (includes aff...

Joy Opsvig didn’t major in engineering, math or statistics. She also didn't let that stop her from becoming a data scientist at LinkedIn. This episode reveals a path of public relations, living as a digital nomad and her eventual transition into the world of data science. Additional Information : Joy’s LinkedIn Profile Neopets (the game that gave Joy her first exposure to programming). Mentioned B...

A former mechanical engineer, Mammadu got burned out during the 2020 pandemic, took ownership and massive action. He explains how he leveraged the Qwasar Silicon Valley program and community to help him transition into a Site Reliability Engineer at LinkedIn. More About Mammadu: LinkedIn Profile GitHub Qwasar Program Links: https://qwasar.io/tech-talent-programs/   https://qwasar.io/wp-conten...

A teacher for over a decade, Jesse Brink reinvented himself and is now a Systems Infrastructure Engineer at LinkedIn. Listen to his story as we uncover exactly how Jesse navigated a career transition. Additional Information: Jesse’s Donors Choose project Jesse's LinkedIn Profile Mentioned Books: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success Designing Data Intensive Applications Fluent Python Mentioned Po...

I talk with Michael Feldmann, a psychology major turned software developer at LinkedIn and beyond. Michael talks about how he explored many different paths before becoming a software developer at LinkedIn. He also shares his experience learning how to code, interviewing and building a dynamite portfolio of projects from an early age. Michaels Portfolio Michael’s LinkedIn Profile  Accidental T...

Welcome to the Exponential Growth - How to Break into Tech Podcast! In the pilot episode I talk about the motivation behind the show, along with my personal story of breaking into tech as a Software Engineer at LinkedIn.  My story is raw and uncut. Many of the topics were uncomfortable for me to discuss, but I hope my struggles help empower others realize their dreams.  YouTube video exp...