After moving to Israel from South Africa, Zoë Cohen applied to <itc> and became a full-stack developer. When the coronavirus lockdown hit, she not only got to keep her job, she applied a “full stack mentality” and thrived. Here is her story and some invaluable advice.
Why did you decide to apply to <itc>?
I am originally from South Africa and came to Israel for a 6 month “Masa” internship program. When the program ended, I decided to stay in Israel and had to choose between either studying or finding a job in order to justify my extended-stay. I began racking my brain as to what on earth I could do – I ruled out many options with regards to the profession, and then my train of thought went “Israel… Start-Up Nation… Coding!” I had thought about coding maybe once or twice before, but to be honest I had no clue what it entailed. To cut a long story short, I think I just found Israel Tech Challenge Hi-Tech Academy <itc> online and signed up for the Full-Stack Development program. I figured it would either work out, or it wouldn’t – you never know unless you try. I’d taken a gamble by extending my stay permanently, so two gambles made way for two possible gains.
How was your experience in the Full-Stack program at <itc>?
It was the furthest thing from rainbows and unicorns. I was only conditionally accepted at first – I had three weeks probation before actually being accepted. I feel like I made it thanks to a lot of hard work and copious amounts of chocolate. Sometimes, I felt as though I was hanging on by a shoestring. I was constantly stressed while constantly in love with my new-found passion.
I met some amazing people and received the greatest support I could even ask for, from my course director, teacher assistants, lecturer, and pretty much anyone else who works there. It was a whirlwind experience – we were learning new things every single day. I do truly believe I was equipped with a brilliant foundation – I learned how to learn things quickly, how to never give up, and how to give 110% dedication to something I often felt clueless about. When I graduated <itc>, I felt almost fearless.
How was your experience of hitting the real world feet first, with the on-site project and post-graduation job-seeking?
When it came to job interviews, we went through rounds of mock interviews which were good preparation. Job interviews petrify me so it was something I had to work through and learn how to deal with. The on-site project was a great experience too. <itc> hooked me up for a project at a company called Autofleet. Even though I wasn’t hired by them at the end of the project, I was really happy with landing that one. All in all, the experience was a once-in-a-lifetime and really guided me through a massive career change. The gamble I took when I applied paid off.
What do you do in your current job at Dualiti Interactive?
Dualiti Interactive is a software solution company based in NY – we aim to turn digital dreams into reality and do cool, cutting-edge stuff. At the start, I was the front-end developer in various projects and after a few months, I moved into the full-stack developer role. I work with React.js, MongoDB, Apollo and GraphQL, and Microsoft Azure, among others. I feel I am constantly learning, it’s crazy. I am so blessed to be in an environment where I am encouraged to constantly evolve. But, right now, I am the lead developer on a project that began during COVID-19.
So, tell us that story – how did the COVID-19 crisis affect you?
Once Corona started, we initiated a new project and developed a platform to connect buyers and sellers of PPE, which was designed and built for the North American market. As this project was moving forward, I took more responsibility for things I was not responsible for before, and received degrees of freedom I never thought I could obtain in such a short time.
While I was effectively leading this project, I stumbled upon a Facebook post and realized that in my home country of South Africa there is actually a pressing need for our solution. I went to my supervisors and we decided that this is indeed an opportunity. I then re-built the entire product to fit the South African market, and we released it three days after that decision, which was insane. This South African launch turned out to be successful and the product is constantly evolving.
In my experience from all that has happened so far (and keeps on happening), I feel like I entered this project as a developer, and now I am a project manager in many ways. I deal with aspects across the spectrum: product, UX, marketing, financial, etc. This could have never happened if it wasn’t for the state of mind I came to adopt in <itc>.
Zoe, What is your best advice for current and future students at <itc>?
There are so many, but if I have to pick one which is related to my experience, I would say that no matter which program you’re in, really focus on developing the skill of being able to learn effectively – by being thrown into the deep end. That is the trick to the ‘full-stack mentality’ – being able to pick something up regardless of fear.
