Alumni Q & A with Victoria Cabrera-Moglia
Meet Victoria. A 2018 Carolina Code School alumnus originally from Uruguay, Victoria found her way to CCS after deciding she no longer wanted to pursue law school. Her time preparing for law school opened her eyes to what she values most out of a career and in life.
Those in her cohort may remember Victoria as someone who just got it. She reflects on her time at CCS as a time where she refined her skillset, challenged her way of thinking, and had the opportunity to assist others as her cohort worked through the twelve-week program.
Now at Fresh Water Systems based in Greenville, Victoria works as a Data Engineer and enjoys the complex projects of coding and how it benefits all aspects of the company. Keep reading to learn more about Victoria as she reflects on her time with CCS!
Tell me a little bit about yourself!
My family and I came to the States from Uruguay when I was seven. I left for college at Yale and came back to take a gap year before starting law school. The more I thought about it, I realized that I just didn't want to go to law school. I had this whole elaborate plan, but it all ended up sounding awful.
I've always liked computers but had sort of forgotten about it as a possibility. Code school came up as a way get a job that didn’t have the same kind of sacrifices as a career in law. It just seemed that it could be a better fit for me. It made more sense than practicing law or any other career.
What kind of experience did you have with technology before CCS?
I was really set on a law school track from early on in high school. Preparing for that was really intense and it spilled over into every aspect of my life. I realized that I could have so much more than a law career—that I wanted more than that. So I spent time with my family and reevaluated the trajectory I was headed on.
How did you end up at Carolina Code School?
It really just came up at the last minute when talking to my family. I remembered how much I enjoyed the AP Computer Science class in high school and where it just clicked for me. I got it. Someone in my family mentioned Carolina Code School so I applied last minute and got in.
I graduated with my cohort in late 2018 and started working in December 2018. Being independent so quickly, not being in debt was really great. This particular career provides stability in a lot of areas of life and created a more balanced relationship with work and life outside of work. My current job, CCS and this field have recreated my relationship with my professional life.
What was your experience like during the 12-week bootcamp?
My time in school really prepared me for the intensity of this condensed crash course. It was certainly a lot of work. I feel like there were two major hurdles to overcome for anyone during bootcamp:
Arranging elements on the page, etc.
Algorithmic thinking
I had a year in high school of AP Computer Science where the entire objective of the year was to learn to think that way. I remember bashing my head thinking "I don't understand what is going on at all." By the end of it, I felt like I could ride this bike. I understood these core concepts. When I got to code school, of course, I worked hard on the weekends, etc. due to the volume of the work, but I generally had a good understanding of these concepts going into it. The course was effective for a great variety of aptitudes and previous experiences. It was a great opportunity to refine the work that I did and continuously challenge myself on what I was capable of.
What was a topic that you enjoyed learning about the most?
I really enjoyed spending learning more about the “full-stack” approach for code. Being able to put together an app that provides something interesting or useful to the user. Putting it all together and knowing I could create this website that is kind of interesting was really fun experience. I am still proud of it. Being able to think in those terms was a new and distinct part of the experience.
The confidence from putting together a project like this solidified that I got it, that I understood how to code — I am confident that if given one of these jobs, I could do it. And then getting my first job brought a whole new level of confidence and a sense of responsibility.
What was the most valuable takeaway from your experience with CCS?
Working with other classmates who were having a harder time and being able to help them. Being encouraging and helpful since I understood the content: that's what sticks out to me from my code school experience. There were people there for whom it was a challenging and existentially meaningful life decision to be there, and I got to be a part of that with them.
It’s a really transformative pathway – even for me. In law school or even other careers, there were limits to my ability to flourish, and CCS (and becoming a programmer) has allowed me to create that for myself in life. If someone has the propensity to be a programmer, specifically through the bootcamp model, it's pretty remarkable how quickly it can prepare someone for a new job, a new way of relating to your own life. It’s 12 weeks and then a new job, a new career, and your life can change. It was really cool to be a part of an institution that is creating that opportunity for people. I still reflect on that aspect of the program and what it does for those in it.
In hindsight, it really widened my perspective not only on my professional growth but my personal growth. It deepened my understanding of life to see this program train people who had experienced meaningful life challenges and wanted a change for themselves.
Do you have advice for those thinking about applying or currently in the program?
Pair programming is really important. Everyone should take advantage of programming opportunities with other people. You will learn a lot.
It’s also important to keep in mind that you will work for a business, and you should understand how your own coding will impact what your company is trying to accomplish. Have curiosity about how your work will impact the overall business.