Bootcamp Graduate Prepares For the Workforce and Finds Community Along the Way
Lyzz Hans isn’t your run-of-the-mill technophile. She has a master’s degree in adult education, and she taught GED prep in a men’s correctional facility before attending We Can Code IT (WCCI.) She found the job extremely rewarding but always had an interest in technology. Prior to WCCI, Lyzz’s exploration of tech was purely self-guided. When COVID hit, and Lyzz was no longer teaching in person. The remote nature of teaching, and business in general, caused her to seek out more formal education in tech and coding, “I’m a member of the Cleveland Women’s Networking Group on Facebook, and I put out some feelers asking if anyone there knew about software development who might give me some tips? Someone mentioned WCCI.” Lyzz shares. She then spoke with a representative from WCCI and learned about various funding options that were available to her. Financially, it sealed the deal for Lyzz. It put tuition “within reach for me,” she explains.
Lyzz began the WCCI bootcamp with technical problems due to the antiquated laptop she had. She was worried that she would fall behind and finally bought a new computer. She explains, “The (WCCI) staff were so patient with me, and I found nothing but strong support from all of them.”
When asked about her favorite part of her coding bootcamp experience Lyzz recalls, “Besides everything we learned, I would say the community. If it wasn’t for the support of the staff and also the students, I mean, we have an amazing community.” She expands on that with, “We’re still in contact now, cheering each other on, helping out where we can, and doing mini projects together. If it wasn’t for that kind of support, I don’t know if I would have been able to complete the program in a timely manner.”
Many WCCI coding bootcamp grads are amazed at what they’re able to accomplish within and after the program. Lyzz is no different, “I’m able to achieve professional goals that are much more difficult than I could before. I definitely feel prepared for the workforce.”
Lyzz, like any other person learning to code, had a lot of questions and needed extra help from her instructors throughout the program. “The WCCI Instructors really made sure we knew what we were doing and gave us the feedback we needed. They were so supportive.” She goes on to say, “Sometimes I worried that I maybe bothered them too much, but they never made me feel like that.”
When asked about the career advancement team at WCCI, Lyzz explains, “They really took the time to look at everything and made sure that I was putting my best foot forward and got me really critically thinking about interviews and that process.” She also added that, “The support didn’t stop after the program was over.”
Lyzz landed a job shortly after bootcamp graduation with Ferrilli, a higher education technology company, as an associate consultant specializing in cyber security. She’s combining her skills as an educator with her now strong tech skills and will assume a full consulting role there within the next 16 months. The future’s looking bright for Lyzz!
