“My name is Marcel. I used to be a Graphic Designer. Now, I’m a Software Engineer.”
Marcel Cornett spent the early years of his career working as a Graphic Designer when he decided to make a career change.
“A good friend of mine told me about Kenzie Academy,” Marcel said. “He decided to change careers and spoke about the benefits of Kenzie’s program. I had some previous experience with coding and recognized the advantages of the program. I decided to make the switch in careers and join Kenzie.”
Marcel thrived as a Software Engineering learner and enjoyed the curriculum and the challenge of learning to code.
“Programming feels like a fun puzzle to solve,” Marcel said. “There’s plenty of challenging work that keeps me engaged and wanting to learn more. I think it’s great that there are many ways to solve one issue, each having its pros and cons. This kind of work is a challenging and rewarding experience that makes sense to have as a career.”
Marcel is also grateful for the camaraderie and community he built with his classmates in the Software Engineering program.
“My favorite memories all come from the people I met along the way,” Marcel said. “Kind and intelligent people made my experience at Kenzie even more enjoyable than imagined. I’m happy to have made a lot of friends here who share the same interests as me.”
Now, Marcel’s tech career is taking off. He’s accepted a position as a Junior Software Engineer at RocketBuild, an on-shore custom software development company in Indianapolis, Ind. He’ll be working with teams to create websites and applications for startups. He’s looking forward to learning how RocketBuild works and contributing ideas to make better products and a better work experience.
“Kenzie taught me how to learn in the tech field,” Marcel said. “The curriculum here exposed me to a sea of possibilities in tech that I can explore. My research skills have grown significantly to help me find many ways of learning a new topic. All of this exposure helped me discover what I liked most. Once I graduated, I was aware of the languages and frameworks in which I am most interested. With this knowledge, I was able to find a relevant position.”
When he’s not at work, Marcel spends his free time nurturing his passions for glassblowing and photography. He’s also involved with a variety of tech groups in Indianapolis.
“Kenzie didn’t direct me to any specific groups but exposed me to the idea that they are out there,” Marcel said. “I’ve attended meetups with Free Code Camp, Code Cafe, IndyPy, and Golang Indianapolis. All have slowed down meetings due to the pandemic but, I’m glad Kenzie directed me to look for groups to join. They’re beneficial in many ways, especially with networking.”
Marcel shared a few pieces of advice for those considering taking on a technical education program at Kenzie.
“Be prepared to spend a lot of time on this program,” Marcel said. “Going to Kenzie shouldn’t be something to do in your spare time. Expect to spend a lot of late nights and early mornings trying to accomplish a goal. Finding a way to devote time to school will be difficult. Once you do that, you’ll be able to figure out almost anything or, at least, get the necessary help to accomplish your goal.”
*This alum graduated from a previous, non-credit bearing, version of the software engineering program.