Have you been considering a career change into the IT sector, but feel unsure about how to make the transition? If so, you're not alone. Many people today are looking for ways to switch careers, and the software industry is among the most preferred ones.
Just like it was for Nikol Bratkova and Nikolay Likyov – two of our
Alpha Python alumni who transitioned to a new career as Data Engineers soon after graduating from the program. They had a different background before joining the Academy but one dream – joining the IT sector. And we help them turn it into reality.
Nikol and Nikolay are yet another proof that if you are motivated and eager to learn, you can achieve all your goals.
So how exactly did the
6-months program Alpha Python help them make a career change? To find out, we spoke with Nikol and Nikolay and learned about their career transformation with the program and how they landed a job as Data Engineers at The Coca-Cola Company, one of our partners.
Before getting into it, don't forget that admission to the
Alpha Python program is still open. If you apply by March 26, you can join our free programming fundamentals course for absolute beginners and get trained and mentored by industry experts.
The life-changing decision
Before joining the
Alpha Python program, Nikol and Nikolay had no previous experience with programming. Nikol had a career in civil engineering, but she felt it was time for a significant change.
"I subscribed to
Telerik Academy's newsletter 2-3 years ago when I had not thought about starting an IT career. I read the monthly newsletters when I had the chance, and gradually the idea that I needed to make a significant change in my life was maturing in me. I was unsatisfied with what I had achieved so far in my life. When I became a mother and had more free time, I decided there was no better moment to join such an intensive course. I applied for
Alpha Python, and things worked out," explained Nikol, Data Engineer at The Coca-Cola Company.
Nikolay has always been interested in technology, so the decision to transition to the IT sector was easy for him.
"In April 2022, I left my management position in one of the biggest supermarket chains in Bulgaria. I have not taken a break from work since the beginning of my career, which is more than 16 years. It took less than a week for me to decide that I wanted to dive into the exciting world of programming. I started with zero programming skills and made a career change at the age of 38 years. It's just the beginning of my journey in the software industry, and it's super exciting and interesting," shared Nikolay, Data Engineer at The Coca-Cola Company.
Hands-on projects
"It's inspiring to see that you can develop a complete application from end to end in such a short time. With my buddy group, we developed a job search platform used to connect employers with job seekers. The key factor for the success of our project was teamwork," shared Nikolay and added:
"In a team, ideas are built and refined much faster, the application becomes more prosperous, and the lessons we learned during this simulation of a real-work environment will undoubtedly help us be better professionals. In my current job, the ability to work in a team is the most important one."
In the program, Nikol experienced what it is like to work in a small team and how to manage the entire development process of web applications.
"During the 6 months in the program, I gained practical experience and developed 3 real-world projects. Together with my teammates, we made a logistics management platform, a forum backend, and a platform for organizing sports events. After graduating from
Alpha Python, I had a professional-grade portfolio of projects I built from scratch and showcased my hands-on experience," shared Nikol.
Joining The Coca-Cola Company
After graduating from
Alpha Python, Nikol and Nikolay started looking for their first IT job and quickly found their place within the team of The Coca-Cola Company.
"For me, the job search process was fast, and immediately after graduating, I started getting calls for interviews from the Academy partners. Within a month, I accepted an offer from The Coca-Cola Company. What we learned in
Alpha Python prepared me to ace the tech and HR interviews, and the whole process happened fast, smoothly and with the expected result," shared Nikol.
The most valuable skill gained at Alpha Python
For Nikolay, it was everything from soft skills to technical lessons, but we leave it to him to share it with you:
"The format of
Alpha Python was the most effective for me - an intensive program, hands-on, with no time to waste with maximum results. In addition to the technical sessions, we had soft skills training which was very helpful and prepared me for what it is like to be part of the IT sector. It was explicitly related to the software industry and its specifics. The technical and soft skills trainers, fellow students, and mentors - everybody was great, and I made many good acquaintances I want to maintain in the future, " shared Nikolay and added:
"In the program, we learned to be programmers who could quickly adapt and venture into the unknown boldly, no matter what language or technology we encountered. This mindset that we should be curious, never stop learning and upskilling, and looking for new challenges, as there are plenty in the IT sector, is a must for every programmer, and in Alpha, we managed to build it."
Our alumni advice to you
"Fortune favors the brave, so act boldly! I chose this path because there are numerous opportunities, a lot of demand, and different directions to develop in, and the people in this sector are amazing. They're intelligent and curious, and there's almost no way you'll end up in an environment you won't enjoy working in," shared Nikolay.
"If you have decided to change your career, there is undoubtedly a place for you in the IT sector. You must put in the necessary effort and dedicate enough time to the
Alpha Python program, but it will be worth it. Nikolay and I are one of the examples showing that the Academy is truly the shortest path to an IT career. I was skeptical before joining the program, but it turns out that you can become a developer in 6 months, just like promised by Telerik Academy," added Nikol.
Now it’s time to follow your dreams - apply for
Alpha Python and launch your successful IT career in 6 months!
