This content was created by Girlboss in partnership with General Assembly.
Chelsea Keiser spent the last eight years working in sales—until she got laid off last summer. “That was a tough situation. The job hunt is extremely stressful,” she says. “I did have some interviews for sales roles, but I realized I didn’t want to do that. I preferred being more in a supporting role, working with numbers. But I didn’t feel confident in applying to any sort of analytics position because I didn’t have certain skills.”
So, she came across General Assembly, an online learning platform where more than 40,000 alumni from full-time and part-time courses have acquired the skills they need to make a career change or advance their careers in the fastest-growing tech roles, like coding, data and UX (user experience) design.
Chelsea graduated from GA’s 12-week Data Analytics bootcamp in December, and with GA career coach Emily Larin by her side, she was able to make a big career change into tech—and successfully landed a job while she was still in the program (24 days before graduation to be exact).
Chelsea is now a data reporting analyst at PharMerica, one of the largest long-term care pharmacies in the US. And she couldn’t be happier. “I love what I do. I love going to work every day,” she says. “When you're on the job search, it's easy to get down on yourself. You're going to get a lot more no’s than yes’s, but you have to stay resilient and not be so hard on yourself too. Things will work out how they're supposed to.”
Below, Chelsea and Emily share their best tips (and stories!) for landing a job in tech.
On how General Assembly prepares students for the real world
Emily: “The instructors are subject matter experts who have experience in the field, so they’re teaching folks who want to pivot into the field—in this case, data analytics. They are getting hands-on experience in class with projects like an Airbnb analysis. Then, where I come in: I teach students how to utilize the projects that they’re working on, in addition to their previous relevant experience, to create their elevator pitch [to market themselves when looking for jobs].”
Chelsea: “The main thing that helped me was revamping my LinkedIn. Emily gave us a goal of hitting 500 connections on LinkedIn. That definitely wasn't one of my strong suits (networking). I decided that I can’t be shy about this anymore and needed to be a little bit more aggressive. I went on a spree and anybody who I had something in common with, I was just hitting ‘connect.’”
On the biggest takeaways from the bootcamp
Chelsea: “Aside from learning Power BI, SQL, Python, all that stuff, the biggest thing for me was presenting. We had to present every single week and that definitely wasn't one of my strong suits. I hated having to be on calls and be put on the spot. It helped me really build my confidence. Each of our classmates and instructors would write down what you're doing really well, as well as things you can improve on the next time that you're presenting. So, that not only helped me in the interview process, but it's also helping me today in my professional setting.”
On choosing a bootcamp versus a traditional college degree
Emily: “Coming from a higher education background, the biggest thing that really stands out is the practical skill-building. The students are working on projects that mirror what a data analyst would be doing on the job. In higher education, things are more theoretical and abstract. Bootcamps are also more oriented towards adult learners, so people who already have work or educational experience.”
Chelsea: “The reason I chose a bootcamp rather than doing traditional school is: time. I didn’t have two years to get another degree. I needed to be able to get back into the workforce as soon as possible.”
On marketing your new skills
Emily: “Before you even start applying, you want to do a reflection of all of the experiences that you have gained thus far. And it doesn't have to be work related—it could be volunteer work. Pointing out these transferable skills, especially those that relate to the field or the industry, are essential. If you're not able to make those connections, hiring managers and recruiters aren’t going to. They’re not going to know how your journey ties into what you want to do now.”
On landing a job after graduation
Emily: “I also recommend folks create a list of companies that are interesting to them. So, this could be dream companies that you’ve always wanted to work for, or companies that are in your local area, or companies that have hired your college’s alum or GA alum, and identify people that have a job you want, who you could reach out to. It can even include hiring managers and recruiters because the whole purpose of this strategy is to get yourself visible.
In today’s job market, referrals are a helpful way in… like a shortcut. That’s not to say you can’t cold apply. If you see a role posted on a job board and you’re meeting at least 60-70 of the qualifications, I definitely recommend applying—just tailor your resume so that you are using the keywords that are in the job descriptions. You also want to follow up after you apply.”
Chelsea: “I actually had someone that was the vice president of operations for my old company, who I never worked with directly, he heard my name flying around and told my current supervisor that I was searching for a job and that I’d be a great fit, which ultimately led them to reach out to me. Other people from my old job had moved over to that company as well and they said some really kind words about me and were great references. So, that really helped me. No matter the situation, you should never burn bridges because you don't know who you're going to run into or who's going to help you.”
Thinking about making a “career change into tech” plan like Chelsea? General Assembly and Girlboss are hosting a panel discussion, Empowering Women in Tech: Mentorship, Tech Trends, and Pay Equity, on Wednesday, March 20 from 4 - 5 p.m. EST. It will tackle everything from fighting imposter syndrome to building a network and keeping your skills up-to-date. Because we don’t gatekeep around here. Save your seat.
