Alumni Spotlight: Lewis Cruz

Lewis Cruz, Carolina Code School Alumnus, sat down with Executive Director, Lelia King, to catch up on life since his time at CCS. His journey over the last 3 years has consisted of hard work, persistence, a pandemic, and learning the importance of knowing when to take risks.

From Code School to Fortune 500 Company

A software developer with Opinions4Good, Lewis enrolled at Carolina Code School in 2018. Through the program, Lewis developed a relationship with a former instructor who, after graduation, offered him an apprenticeship at a start-up company. "It was great fun. I learned a lot while getting to do a little bit of everything from frontend to backend in Ruby. I really enjoyed my time there," recalled Lewis.

After a three-month stint at the start-up, Lewis was approached to work with a Fortune 500, international corporation. The exact opposite of his recent experience. In the next nine months, Lewis adjusted to the cultural shift that anyone would experience going from a start-up to a large corporation. All projects were time-sensitive. He learned that projects were expected to be done in a certain amount of time and if you predicted they couldn't be, you speak up. As Lewis waited for the possibility of this contract role to turn into a full-time position, COVID hit. This company's production was based in China. So like many others, Lewis was on the hunt for a new job. "They (China) were the first to get hit. So, I was there for nine months and that was it. There was no further opportunity there," Lewis explained.

So, what did he do? He searched the job boards. He applied to jobs and various companies that were hiring. He used his connections to make sure his name and skillset were on the table. Lewis explained to Lelia, "...I worked harder on the job search than I did during my job. That's something I would tell prospective students or students that are getting ready to graduate. The job search is in many ways more work than when you're in code school."

As COVID continued to challenge employers and employees alike, Lewis took advantage of the situation by making himself available to others. He helped friends and former colleagues with odds and ends to keep his hands in coding as he continued to search and work the job boards. He recalls, "I heard a thousand ‘no's’ until I heard that one ‘yes.' It's kind of cliche, but that's exactly what happened!"

That One “Yes”

It was the right fit. "I always joked with my family, 'I will never get a job through Indeed,' but ultimately, I did" Lewis said about applying for the job with Opinions4Good using Indeed.

Before his time at CCS, Lewis worked for a non-profit radio station for 14 years. So, when he was reading about the job and company, yes, on Indeed, he was immediately interested in this marketing research firm that specializes in non-profit work. He remembers feeling that he could "really get behind this work.”

While the interview process was very involved, Lewis took extra steps to help him stand out, and it worked. His assessments allowed him to showcase his skill set and provide insight as to why he completed the assignments as he did. He continued to have great conversations with the team leads, turned down other potential opportunities, and expressed his interest in the position, company, and their philosophy.

"I just felt strongly that I had a really good connection with them and that it was a great job. It was worth the gamble to pass up other temporary opportunities. I am so thankful I did," said Lewis.

Worth the Work, Risk and Wait

After an almost three-month interview process, he got the job. Throughout the interview process, it became clear to Lewis that this was a company he wanted to fully invest his time in, and he couldn't be happier about the culture, mission, and overall experience so far.

Now almost 6 months into the position, all of the job searching, potential offers, etc. Lewis is taking time to reflect on his journey over the last few years since his time at CCS. “The decision that I made to enroll at Carolina Code School is one of the most important and bravest decisions that I’ve made in my life, and I'm very grateful for it. Five, ten years ago, I never would've thought I'd be able to have such a great job, a great career, and doing it all from the comfort of my own home."