For the last 10 years Tiffany Estrella has been grinding away in the fashion industry. Her career has taken her from the Dominican Republic to New York City before finally leading her to Los Angeles. In all, Tiffany invested 16 years in fashion—far from a small investment.
Like many people who devote that much time dedicated to one thing, Tiffany started to lose interest. For the last couple of years, it became a back-and-forth mental battle about what to do. It wasn’t until last year that she realized it was high time to make a change.
By a bit of luck, or perhaps fate, Tiffany found herself tasked with the job of leading a makeover for her company website. It was an entirely new assignment for her but while working on the site, she discovered a new interest–web design. The work allowed her to get creative, an element she enjoyed in fashion. Plus, she could toy around with technology while interacting with people. That experience nudged Tiffany towards the idea of leaving fashion behind for greener pastures, and eventually she formed a new plan–pursue a career in UX and web design.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that isn’t a shabby plan. By 2024, web developers are expected to see a 27% job increase, which is far above the national average of all other occupations. The pay isn’t bad either—currently around $65,000 a year.
At first, Tiffany tried to navigate the transition herself, however, she quickly realized that despite the large amount of online resources available, it was far too overwhelming and the language was confusing. She needed help. Over and over she kept asking herself, “What do I do?”
It was that exact question that served as the catalyst for the creation of Careeer.
Anya Iverova, Careeer’s Founder & CEO, has an extensive background in both educational advising and technology. While in college she worked in her university’s career services office. After college, she held jobs at educational institutions, startups, non-profits and for-profit companies. In those roles, she provided career direction and guidance for individuals ranging from corporate clients attempting to obtain their MBA to students looking to shift into entirely new fields of work.
Anya caught on to similar trends with these people. “I noticed that in their transition, people lacked accountability, lacked expert direction, and lacked objective resources. Over and over I kept being asked, ‘What do I do?'”
The question found an answer—Careeer.
Careeer’s mission is to prepare people for the future of work, specifically by transitioning them into technology careers. Anya and her team accomplish this by assessing their client’s skills, measuring their human potential, and providing coaching services to accelerate the progression.
To begin the process, a client is matched with a Careeer coach for a one-on-one assessment. Together they evaluate the client’s current skills and determine any skills gaps that stand between where the client is now and their desired job. Other factors include the client’s budget, schedule and timeline.
After the assessment, the coach will create a custom education plan and road map. The road map oftentimes involves courses, boot camps or workshops from companies like General Assembly, Coursera, Design Lab, Udacity, Springboard and others. The Careeer coach aids with any applications necessary. Once the client is enrolled, it’s continual support all the way until job placement.
Tiffany began working with Careeer in the fall of 2016. Admittedly, she wasn’t too stoked about the idea of going back to school and taking courses, but once she got her feet wet she started to enjoy it. For her, the biggest help has been the tailored curriculum and the accountability provided by her coach. With distractions from her current job and social life, weekly check-ins keep her on track and motivated. She also benefits from the mock interviews that are orchestrated by her coach. Tiffany is currently finishing up her courses and with the help of her coach, has optimistically begun the job hunt.
Making the decision to pursue a new career can be intimidating but, as Careeer demonstrates, with the proper help and guidance the process and end result can be very fulfilling.
If you live in Los Angeles and are considering a career in technology, visit Careeer’s website to learn more about their services and how their enthusiastic team might be able to help you.
