Our Alpha alumni come from all walks of life with one dream – to be successful software engineers. Many of them have little or no programming skills and their professional backgrounds vary from finance and civil engineering – to law and marketing. With the help of our team, they have the opportunity to successfully switch careers and turn their dreams into reality.
Today, there are still a lot of misconceptions about the programming field. One of the most common is that you need strong math skills to become a developer and that age is something more than just a number.
Vanya Dimitrova's story is yet another proof that if you are motivated and eager to learn, you can achieve all your goals. And if one of them is to become a developer, we are here to help you - regardless of whether you are 18, 30, 40, or 66 years old.
“For many years I believed that programming was not for me, and I could not do it. But at the same time, I had a strong desire to learn”, shared Vanya in her
Alpha JavaScript application back in the beginning of 2021 when she was in her 40s and added:
“The hardest part was overcoming my inner resistance.”
Well, she realized she could, so she did.
Today, Vanya is a Junior Cloud Engineer at Mentor Mate, one of our partners, job she landed soon after graduating from
Alpha JavaScript.
We reached out to Vanya to talk about both – her inspirational story about successfully landing an IT job and the challenges along the way.
This is her story!
Before getting into it, don't forget – the admission for the
Alpha JavaScript program is open. If you want to follow Vanya’s example and transform your life –
apply now!
Hi, Vanya, let’s start from the beginning – what were you doing before Telerik Academy? How did you decide that it was time for a change?
Before joining the Academy, I was working in a software company as a Business Analyst. For more than 5 years this was my professional occupation but at one point I felt the need for further development and for me, programming was the most logical direction in which to continue.
In 2020, I made the first steps toward the IT sector and started to learn how to code. A couple of months later, I started a new job, and my programming education stopped there. Soon my life took a new turn when I was fired from that job (but as they say, out of something bad comes something good). And that’s when I applied to
Telerik Academy Alpha JavaScript.
What made you choose Telerik Academy? How did you know that this was the right place for you?
When I decided to switch careers, a friend shared that she is currently studying at Telerik Academy. She also had a recommendation before joining the Alpha program - her close friend, an HR specialist at a software company, told her that of all the job candidates she interviewed, the Telerik Academy graduates are the best prepared.
For me, this was a key argument to apply for the
Alpha JavaScript program. If we add that 100% of the job-seeking Alpha alumni are hired in the IT sector and the opportunity to start paying your tuition 6 months after graduating, I was more than sure that Telerik Academy was the right place for me.
The most valuable thing about studying at Telerik Academy is the opportunity to outdo yourself and achieve great success in just 6 months. The
Alpha JavaScript program is intense, and to succeed, you have to put in a lot more effort than you think you have. Even after the program, the ability to do more and outdo yourself stays with you.
And what was the biggest challenge for you during the Alpha JavaScript program?
The biggest challenge I faced during the program was the need to overcome my inner resistance when it became most difficult. I managed to overcome it thanks to my stubbornness. I was convinced that I could do it, and I wanted to succeed. My husband told me that he had never seen me so determined.
Thank you for this conversation. We wish you the best of luck, and before we say goodbye, we have one last question - what advice would you give to our new Telerik Academy students?
Worrying does not help, so forget about it. Always keep the goal top of mind and work hard. Believe in yourself! So others will believe in you :)
Are you ready to take on your journey to a successful IT career? Then don’t hesitate and apply to
Telerik Academy Alpha JavaScript! 
