Before he discovered CareerFoundry, Kristis was working in a logistics role at Amazon. He had previously studied Automobile Transport Engineering at college but, like many of our students, soon realized this wasn’t his calling.
Rather than sitting around and hoping fate would work its magic, he took matters into his own hands. One Web Development program later, Kristis is now working as a Junior Web Developer at Zenospace.
When asked what triggered his career change, Kristis refers back to his school days. Torn between IT and Automobile Engineering, he chose to study the latter—a choice he went on to regret. Unable to envision a future in the field, he went back to the drawing board and, after some careful consideration, decided to try web development instead.
“Before I finished school, I was choosing between IT and Automobile Engineering—and I made the mistake of choosing to study Automobile Engineering, because I didn’t imagine myself working in this field. So, later on, I decided to start learning web development, as I’d always liked working with computers.”
Prior to taking the course, Kristis had only ever dipped a tentative toe in the web development waters; beyond that, his experience was limited. He wanted to boost his existing knowledge, and the online bootcamp style of learning proved ideal.
Aside from the flexibility of learning online, Kristis was especially grateful for the supportive community which he soon found himself a part of. We asked him what he enjoyed most about the course, and he was quick to praise his mentor, tutor and fellow CareerFoundry students.
“Even though I didn’t have much experience in web development when I enrolled on the course, I received a lot of good advice from the CareerFoundry team and other students. In fact, what I enjoyed most about the course was the communication with my tutor and mentor, as well as the course content.”
Despite his lack of experience in the field, by the time he’d finished the course, Kristis felt more than ready to take on the web development job market—and he didn’t go in empty-handed.
Throughout the course, he’d worked on a number of real-world projects, gradually building up his professional portfolio. After graduating, he took all the careers advice he’d received and put it to good use—creating his CV, refining his portfolio and, finally, applying for jobs.
“Once I’d finished the CareerFoundry course, I created my CV, polished my portfolio and added more projects. Then I registered on all existing UK job websites and started applying for jobs.”
His perseverance paid off, and it wasn’t long before he received that coveted job offer. After overcoming some initial nerves, he soon settled into his new role as a junior web developer.
“Starting my first job in tech was interesting, but I was a little bit worried because English is not my native language. Now I would say that the three best aspects of my new career are the flexibility, the small, friendly team, and my boss—a strong leader.”
Kristis’s story is extremely relatable: how many of us have studied something, only to realise that’s not where our passion lies?
Fortunately, he was able to redefine his path and embark on a new and exciting journey—something he would strongly recommend. To anyone else considering a career change, Kristis is adamant:
“If you know what you want to do, and you like it, then just do it!“
As far as Kristis is concerned, this is just the beginning. Where does he see himself five years from now?
Possibly freelancing—maybe having started his own business. The future is wide open, and it’s all because he had the courage to make a change and try something new.
What You Should Do Now
If you’d like a step-by-step intro to find out if a career in development, data, or design is right for you—sign up here for a free 5-day coding short course.
If you want to get a new job in tech, check out our full Web Development Program or speak to an expert program advisor for free.
About the author
Emily Stevens
Emily is a professional tech writer and content strategist. She spent over a decade in tech startups, immersed in the world of UX and design thinking. In addition to writing for The CareerFoundry Blog, Emily has been a regular contributor to several industry-leading design publications and wrote a chapter for The UX Careers Handbook. She also has an MSc in Psychology from the University of Westminster.