Get to know Alumnus Stephanie Cushing

Meet Stephanie Cushing. Former athlete and graduate of Furman University, Stephanie recently shared her journey to CCS and how she has landed her role as a front-end engineer at a local software development company. Her message of learning and growing to be patient with herself is a wonderful reminder for everyone. Read on to learn more Stephanie!

Tell me about yourself! 

I'm originally from Pittsburgh, PA, moved to Naples, FL as a kid. I've always played sports and been active. When I was looking at colleges I was looking at smaller out-of-state schools where I could get my education and play softball. I ended up getting recruited by and a scholarship to Furman University here in Greenville. 

After graduating from Furman, I went to graduate school at Belmont University in Nashville, TN receiving my Master in Sport Administration. From Belmont, I moved back to Greenville taking a job in college athletics. From there I worked in various positions in and around athletics and events - I've been a strength coach, a personal trainer, a special event coordinator in logistics for the City of Greenville, before finally going back to work for Furman in the athletic department as the Assistant Director for Game Operations. 

I decided that I wanted something more from myself and that if I was going to continue to grow personally and professionally that I needed to take the leap into something different. I had previously thought about entering the tech industry but didn't trust myself enough to take the leap. Outside of work, I love being able to get outside and be active with my better half and our dogs - hiking, camping, stand-up paddleboarding, riding bikes. I love live music and going to concerts and shows - no matter how big or small. 

What was your first exposure to the computers/tech industry? 

Both of my parents worked for a company called Westinghouse, my mom was a keypunch operator and my dad worked in the research department. I always remember my mom wanting me and my younger sister to have strong typing and computer skills. We'd always had a family computer at the house that we were allowed to have some time on, like when connecting to the internet required a dial tone (and I have totally aged myself). 

More recently as I started looking at a tech career I was fortunate enough to have a connection with a woman who had been in the tech industry for decades and she talked to me about what it meant to be a woman in tech. A lot of what she said resonated with me. 

What was your experience like during the 12-week boot camp? 

My experience at boot camp was crazy. Mady creates such a nurturing and safe environment to learn in. I have generally been afraid to fail and be wrong (I blame it on being an athlete for so long), but Mady helped me realize it was not only okay but NECESSARY to fail and to break things and to be okay with that because that's how we learn. 

Often I felt like I was drinking from a firehose that kept getting turned up each week and I use that analogy all the time. It was so challenging, but it was 100% worth it. I had a blast with my classmates too. We got close as a group and it was incredibly helpful to have that support system in people that were going through the same thing I was going through. I worked really, really hard in those 12 weeks but at the end of it I was able to create something that I was proud of and to have the skills to change my career and ultimately my life. 

What are you up to now? What type of projects, etc. are you working on? 

I am a front-end engineer at Orange Bees located in Greenville. Currently, I'm on a team that's helping rebuild a system that's been in place for a very long time for a telecommunications company.

What was the transition like from being a code school student to working? 

The transition has been tough at times, but one of the reasons I wanted to work at Orange Bees is because of their mentorship program. My mentor, Jonathan, has really helped me a ton. He's taught me so much and has been so patient since I've started. Orange Bees' culture is really big on collaboration - there are so many people I feel like I can go to with questions that are willing to help me learn. It's just a continual process of learning and growing.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about changing careers/code school? 

Take that leap. You are so much more capable than you think.

What was the most valuable takeaway from your experience with CCS? Oh goodness, it's hard to pick just one thing. Aside from the friendships, I'd say staying curious. I'm also finding that I'm much more patient than I was before.

How does it feel to be a part of the Greenville coding/CCS community? 

I really enjoy being a part of the coding/CCS community - everyone is super nice and SO smart. I hope that as I become more comfortable in my abilities that I can do more to give back and to expose young women to coding and tech. I have been fortunate enough to give back in small ways to Cohort 11 and hopefully, I'll be able to continue to give back to CCS and future cohorts.