Maria Santos spent 15 years as an elementary school teacher in Mississauga. She loved working with children and was highly respected by her colleagues and students' parents. But as she approached her 40th birthday, she felt increasingly restless. "I kept wondering if this was really what I wanted to do for the next 25 years," she recalls. "I loved teaching, but I craved something new—something that would challenge me intellectually and offer different opportunities."
Today, just 18 months after completing our Full-Stack Development program, Maria leads a team of five developers at a Toronto-based fintech company. Her salary has more than doubled from her teaching days. This is her story.
The Decision That Changed Everything
Maria's journey into tech started with a casual conversation at a family dinner. Her nephew, a software developer at Shopify, mentioned that his company was always looking for people with strong communication skills and the ability to explain complex concepts simply.
"He said, 'Aunt Maria, you'd be amazing at this. You explain things better than anyone I know,'" she remembers. "It planted a seed."
Maria started exploring online tutorials in her evenings. She discovered that she genuinely enjoyed the logical thinking required for coding. After three months of self-study, she made a decision that her family initially questioned: she took a leave of absence from teaching and enrolled in our 16-week Full-Stack Development bootcamp.
The Bootcamp Experience
"The first two weeks were terrifying," Maria admits. "I was surrounded by people who seemed to understand everything instantly, while I was struggling with basic JavaScript. I seriously considered quitting."
But her teaching background proved to be an unexpected advantage. "I realized that I knew how to learn. I knew how to break down complex topics, how to practice consistently, and how to ask for help when I needed it."
By week six, Maria was helping her classmates debug their code. By week twelve, she was leading her capstone project team. "The instructors told me that my ability to communicate technical concepts clearly was rare and valuable," she says.
Landing the First Job
After graduation, Maria faced the challenge many career changers encounter: competing against candidates with years of industry experience. Our career services team worked with her to reframe her teaching experience as leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.
"We practiced mock interviews where I had to explain how managing a classroom of 30 eight-year-olds prepared me for project management," Maria laughs. "It sounds funny, but it worked."
Within eight weeks of graduation, Maria received three job offers. She accepted a junior developer position at a mid-sized fintech company, starting at $75,000—a $20,000 increase from her teaching salary.
The Path to Tech Lead
What happened next surprised even Maria. Within six months, she was promoted to intermediate developer. Her manager noted that her ability to mentor junior developers and communicate with non-technical stakeholders set her apart.
"I realized that my teaching skills weren't just transferable—they were actually in high demand," she explains. "Most developers can write code, but not everyone can explain it to a client or help a struggling teammate understand a concept."
Ten months after starting, Maria was promoted again, this time to team lead. Her current compensation package, including salary and equity, exceeds $130,000.
Advice for Career Changers
When asked what advice she'd give to others considering a similar transition, Maria offers these insights:
- Don't discount your existing skills: "Whatever you've been doing, you've developed valuable skills. Figure out how they translate to tech."
- Be prepared for discomfort: "Learning something completely new at 40 is humbling. Embrace being a beginner again."
- Build in public: "I started a blog documenting my learning journey. It helped me process what I was learning and showed potential employers my growth mindset."
- Lean on your cohort: "The friendships I made in the bootcamp were crucial. We supported each other through the tough times."
- Trust the process: "There were moments when I thought I'd made a terrible mistake. Keep going. It gets better."
Looking Back, Looking Forward
Maria doesn't regret her years in education. "Teaching made me who I am," she says. "It gave me the patience, communication skills, and resilience that I use every day as a tech lead."
Now she's paying it forward. Maria regularly volunteers as a mentor for new students in our program, particularly those making mid-career transitions. "I want them to see that it's possible," she says. "If a 40-year-old teacher can become a tech lead, anyone can."
Her story is a powerful reminder that career change isn't just for the young. With the right training, support, and determination, it's possible to reinvent yourself at any age.
