How I Went From Fashion Model to Software Engineer in One Year

I never planned on becoming a programmer. As a homeschooled kid, I wasn‘t exposed to coding at a young age like some of my peers. My passions were photography and fashion, so I pursued a modeling career after dropping out of college.

But after a few years posing for the camera, I craved more intellectual stimulation and impact. When I noticed how much my sister loved her software engineering job, I was intrigued. On a whim, I took a free online "Intro to Computer Science" course. From the first lesson, I was hooked.

Something about the challenge of tackling complex problems and building functional products ignited a fire in me. I resolved right then to become a software engineer, no matter what it took. But could I really make the leap? I was starting from zero, while most of my future colleagues had years of experience and computer science degrees.

Spoiler: one year later, I landed my first job as a full-time software engineer. Here‘s how I did it, and how you can too – no matter your background.

Committing to the Goal

Once I decided to pursue software engineering, I gave myself a deadline: one year to learn to code and get hired. It was ambitious, but achievable with the right plan and relentless focus.

I started by building a strong foundation in the basics:

• HTML to structure web pages
• CSS to style them
• JavaScript to add interactivity
• Basic data structures and algorithms

I devoured free online resources like freeCodeCamp, Codecademy, and Udacity courses. But I quickly realized I learned best by working on my own projects, not just following tutorials. Building real applications was the key to cementing new skills.

Here are a few of the earliest projects I built:

• A pomodoro timer app to boost productivity
• A weather app that pulled data from an API
• A movie browsing app with a favorites list
• A Chrome extension for taking notes on web pages

With each project, I stretched my skills a bit further. I Googled my way through bugs and pored over Stack Overflow posts. Slowly but surely, my confidence as a coder grew.

Overcoming Challenges

Learning to code is hard. There were many long nights staring at my laptop in utter confusion. Times when I questioned if I was cut out for this field. But each time I hit a wall, I reminded myself of my north star: building a meaningful career I loved.

One of the biggest challenges was deciding between enrolling in a coding bootcamp or continuing to learn on my own. Bootcamps offered structure, mentorship and an expedited path to a junior dev job. But they were also expensive, intense, and offered less flexibility.

In the end, I decided the self-taught path was right for me. I was already making steady progress and enjoyed the freedom to learn at my own pace. Still, I knew I would need to be strategic to make the career switch on my timeline.

You Are Your Own Best Advocate

Landing a software engineering job without a degree or past experience is difficult. To stand a chance, I had to go above and beyond to prove my skills and potential.

Building an impressive portfolio of projects was a start. But I also invested heavily in creating a unique personal brand. I started a coding blog and YouTube channel to document my learning journey. I began speaking at local tech meetups and conferences about making the transition into tech.

"Create content, whether videos, blogs, or social media posts. Developing your personal brand and sharing your progress will open doors for you without having to rely on the traditional academic or career path." – Madison Kanna

My goal was to control my own narrative. I wanted my passion for programming to shine through in every Google search of my name. It required putting myself out there in ways that felt uncomfortable at first. But it paid off tenfold when it came time to apply for jobs.

Embracing My Nontraditional Background

In interviews, I struggled at first with how to position my background. I didn‘t have a computer science degree or relevant work experience. Would I be laughed out of the room?

But then I realized my unorthodox path was actually my greatest strength. Modeling taught me to be meticulous and detail-oriented. Running my own photography business honed my creativity and initiative. Teaching myself to code showed my grit and aptitude for picking up new skills quickly.

I started weaving my experiences into a compelling story of why I was ready for an engineering role. For example:

• Collaborating with designers on photoshoots → Communicating with cross-functional teams
• Managing multiple modeling clients → Juggling competing priorities and deadlines
• Learning new poses and techniques for each shoot → Quickly adapting to new technologies

The key was demonstrating how my past experiences would make me a valuable asset as an engineer, not a liability. Embracing my unique background helped me stand out from a sea of cookie-cutter resumes.

The Power of Community

Learning in a vacuum is lonely. Finding communities of other aspiring programmers was a game-changer for staying motivated and accountable.

I started attending local coding workshops and hackathons. I joined online communities like the freeCodeCamp forums and 100DaysOfCode Slack channel. Suddenly, I had a built-in group of cheerleaders and mentors invested in my success.

"Tap into the power of community. The friends and mentors I met through coding groups and events were instrumental in keeping me inspired and opening doors to opportunities." – Madison Kanna

These connections led to my first big break. After presenting at a meetup about my journey learning to code, an attendee approached me about an internship at his startup. I jumped at the chance to cut my teeth in a real software role.

Within a few months, I was promoted to a full-time junior front-end engineer. I had reached my goal, and ahead of schedule to boot. But it never would have happened without putting myself out there and leaning on my network.

By The Numbers

Making the leap from fashion model to software engineer is still a relatively rare path. But I‘m one of a growing number of professionals transitioning into tech from nontraditional backgrounds each year.

Consider these statistics:

• There are an estimated 24 million "career changers" – workers who pivot into new occupations without a related background. (Source)
• 72% of bootcamp grads found full-time employment in a job requiring the skills they learned. (Source)
• Nearly half of college graduates (47%) work in jobs not related to their major. (Source)
• Only 25% of developers have a formal computer science degree (Source)

The tech industry is slowly waking up to the value of engineers from diverse educational and professional backgrounds. After all, if we want to build products that meet the needs of all consumers, we need teams that reflect the diversity of those end users.

Beyond hard technical skills, nontraditional engineers often bring valuable "soft skills" forged in past careers:

• Communication: Clearly explaining complex concepts to non-technical team members
• Empathy: Understanding the end user‘s needs and translating them into features
• Creativity: Approaching coding challenges from fresh angles
• Collaboration: Navigating team dynamics and aligning around shared priorities
• Adaptability: Learning new coding languages and tools quickly

Managers, take note: broadening your hiring lens to include career switchers can supercharge your team‘s skill-set and bring in valuable new perspectives.

Tips For Aspiring Career Pivoters

Convinced you‘re ready to make the leap into software engineering? Learn from my journey with these tips:

1. Set a specific timeline to keep yourself accountable. What feels ambitious but achievable – 6 months, 1 year, 2 years? Work backwards to plot milestones along the way.

2. Build an impressive portfolio of your own projects. Make your GitHub green with new code every day. Employers want to see what you can build, not just courses you‘ve completed.

3. Create content to establish your personal brand. Blog about what you‘re learning, make videos of you coding, speak at meetups. Showcase your growing expertise and passion publicly.

4. Invest in your network early. Attend industry events, participate in online communities, build relationships with potential mentors. The majority of jobs come from referrals.

5. Frame your past experience as an asset. Practice telling the story of how your unique background will make you a more effective, well-rounded engineer.

6. Prepare for technical interviews. Do mock interviews with engineer friends. Build projects with the technologies your target companies use. Brush up on data structures and algorithms.

Above all, never lose sight of what drew you to programming in the first place. Hold onto that spark of excitement as you learn and build. Let it fuel you as you remake your career.

Conclusion

My journey from fashion model to software engineer was far from easy. The self-doubt, impostor syndrome, and endless hours of debugging were enough to make me want to quit a hundred times over.

But through it all, I clung to my love for coding and problem-solving. I didn‘t let my nontraditional background hold me back, but leveraged it as my secret weapon. With hard work and a lot of support, I achieved in one year what many thought was impossible.

Now, I have the immense privilege of using my programming skills to build products that impact users‘ lives. I collaborate with brilliant teammates to tackle complex challenges each day. And I have the freedom to build a career and life on my own terms.

Friend, if I can make this switch, so can you. No, it won‘t be easy, and it definitely won‘t be overnight. But if you commit to consistent effort and refuse to let setbacks derail you, you will get there.

Give yourself permission to try. Start small, but start today. Build that first project outside your comfort zone. Share what you‘re learning to keep yourself accountable. Reach out to engineers you admire for advice and mentorship.

Your dream career in software engineering is waiting for you. You‘ve got this – I‘ll be rooting for you every step of the way.