Kash Farhadi was an area manager at Amazon, then transitioned into international iron and steel industry sales, working for his dad’s company in Mexico. While the job was fun and gave him a wide range of new experiences, Kash felt it was wearing him down due to the constant stress and pressure. It was time to shift gears again, and this time, he decided he’d make his way into the tech space.
The First Few Months
When I decided to transition into tech and found that Kenzie is a full-time program, I was excited because I thought it was almost like a mini vacation in a sense, in my mind back then. I didn’t realize that coding’s actually pretty hard. You have to spend a lot of time outside of class learning. It ramped up and there were some times when it was really intense.
Facing Demanding Projects
There were definitely a couple of projects where you’re building some feature, maybe the login feature, and it just doesn’t work. You’ve done all the homework. You know each step individually and what it’s supposed to do. You thought you learned it when you did that, but now you’re building this big app. It gets exponentially harder. That’s when you see what you’re made of. You’re either just going to give up and ask for help tomorrow or you’re going to really hammer it in.
Unlocking Knowledge and Abilities
I have a lot of satisfaction when I figure something out that I couldn’t do and I solve it. I like to think of it as a game. Every new thing that I do is an ability. I unlocked something for me, for my knowledge, and my abilities. So, that motivates me a lot. In the Kenzie program, they teach you about the growth mindset and how your abilities are not fixed. You can learn almost anything with the right time, with the right teaching. They instill that value in us early on.
Collaborating With Other Learners
We almost always talked about tech-related things, if not the actual assignments we had. It puts you with like-minded individuals working towards a common goal, working towards the same type of things you’re trying to achieve. It’s a much more conducive environment to be successful and to finish the program with the most value you could get. There were so many times when I didn’t know something. I would ask [other learners] and they would explain it differently to me, and I’d be like, oh, well that’s interesting. That’s new. OK, this sticks to me.
The Advantages of Hands-On Learning
Kenzie does teach you exactly what it’s like in the real world. You always build whatever you just learned, and you get hands-on experience. That’s the number one way to cement learning. The best way to learn something and make it stick is you need to recall it actively without the knowledge and the source material right there in front of you. You’re applying what you learned, you’re recalling, you’re pulling it out.
Recommending Tech
Should I get into tech? I think that question alone should be an absolute yes for anybody. Just considering the lifestyle conditions alone, it has to be a yes. I think the more you can control your environment, the better it is for you. I can set up my workspace exactly how I want. I can work on a couch if I want. I can be on a treadmill walking with my computer there if I need to constantly get a little exercise. That’s normal. As long as you get the job done, you get the results, you can do it anywhere. People should get into tech no matter what.
Advice for Those Considering Kenzie Academy
Kenzie is an amazing option. I absolutely would do it again if I went back in time, knowing how I ended up now. Even if I didn’t get into Salesforce, Kenzie did prepare me. If you are new, you need to know what you want to do. There’s a lot of exploring you can do on your own to see what tech work looks like.
Looking Back
Kenzie was the turning point for my transition to tech. It’s my big turn. It’s what I attribute the biggest turning point of my career into tech.
A new career in tech could be on the horizon for you! Will you take the opportunity? Kenzie Academy programs can help you build a foundation for a bright future in a growing industry. Apply today and begin your journey.
*This alum graduated from a previous, non-credit bearing, version of the software engineering program.