How Cydeo Empowers and Bridges Women to Tech Opportunities

You would not commonly see women in the tech industry; at least not as much as men. Indeed surveys upon surveys have shown that men dominate the tech sector despite longstanding calls to diversify the workforce. If we go further back, we’ll see that the same imbalance is present in the number of men and women pursuing STEM education.

CYDEO, founded by individuals who strived to transform their lives by acquiring new tech skills, was set up to balance the scale. Since its establishment, its main mission has been to help underrepresented career switchers learn in-demand skills and break into tech.

To give you an idea of how CYDEO helps women join the ranks of tech specialists, let’s check out the stories of three women whose lives were changed after CYDEO and how their successes were made possible with additional job search support from the bootcamp.

Alumni Stories: Braving the Tech World with CYDEO

Inci, Nisso, and Tina are three exceptional women who overcame major challenges in their lives to find their calling in tech. Now, they enjoy fulfilling careers with six-figure salaries in a male-dominated field. Here are their stories.

Inci

Before pivoting to tech, Inci was running a hotel in Turkey. She was not inclined to technology and dealt mainly with people, designing rooms, and marketing. When Inci moved to the United States, after her husband received a job offer, she hoped that her income and savings would cover her expenses. But, the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the tourism industry.

Inci had heard about CYDEO from a friend who was learning to code with his wife. But she didn’t give it much thought until she learned that the couple had acquired tech jobs. Desperate for financial stability, Inci decided that it was time to give coding a chance and make a fresh start.

Having neither experience in tech nor high computer literacy but a strong willpower to code, Inci enrolled in CYDEO’s Java SDET Program (Zero to Hero) and Java Developer Program (Accelerated program exclusively for Alumni). She diligently attended classes and completed the coursework, putting in as much effort day after day.

After three months of studying, Inci’s fear of coding dissipated and her performance garnered positive feedback from her mentors. During the seven months, Inci learned Java programming, and testing tools like TestNG, Junit, Selenium WebDriver, JDBC, and REST Assured. She even aced at test automation frameworks and team projects.

Along with three other women from her study group, Inci finished the program and became “an early bird” to enter the tech job market. CYDEO introduced Inci to tech companies, where she started getting job offers. After spending time in several tech companies, Inci landed a job as an Automation Engineer in a company specializing in AI products as business solutions.

Nisso

About five years ago, Nisso moved to the US from Uzbekistan. Her relationship with her husband deteriorated, resulting in a divorce. Nisso became a single mother. “I felt so lost,” Nisso said. “I didn’t have my family here and had a child to look after. I needed a new direction to know where I was going.” Her friend, who advised her to look for a new career, told her about CYDEO.

At first, Nisso was skeptical about the tech training. But the need to change her life pushed her to take up the challenge. So, she enrolled in CYDEO’s Java SDET Program. As classes began, it became apparent to Nisso that learning to code was the right decision. She started doing well and, like Inci, graduated as an “early bird” for her excellent performance.

However, she was engulfed by self-doubt when it came to job searching. Her divorce had drained her emotionally. At the time, Sam, a CYDEO instructor and Nisso’s good friend, supported and encouraged her to apply for as many jobs as possible. With Sam’s help, Nisso discovered her inner strength and eventually started receiving calls from recruiters.

Nisso interviewed with five companies and accepted the offer from the last one, where she found people she enjoyed being around. She is happy with her six-figure salary that allows her to take care of herself and her son now.

Tifa

Before enrolling in Cydeo, Tifa was a housewife for 10 years, caring for two small children and her husband. However, her motivation to learn to code was sparked by her daughter, who asked her one day where money comes from. Tifa wanted to be her daughter’s role model and show her that one has to put effort into earning money.

When she decided to enroll in CYDEO, Tifa was in her late 40s and motivated to show her daughter that starting a new career is possible at any age. Her friend, who recently launched a career as a Manual Tester at Amazon, sent Tifa a few links to the tech courses she could attend. CYDEO was among them.

Tifa’s husband enrolled first in CYDEO’s training and landed a tech job two hours after completion. He persuaded Tifa to enroll in CYDEO’s Java SDET Program after that. She studied in the late evenings after putting her children to sleep. She attended group studies at 10:30pm every Thursday. Students in the group helped each other to prepare for the soft skill interviews under the supervision of a group mentor.

Because she had not worked for a long time, Tifa didn’t feel confident going for interviews. The first two weeks after completing the course, she only applied to the company where her husband was working and was called in for an interview. However, she didn’t get an offer. Nevertheless, she pressed on.

After two weeks, she started applying to other companies and securing interviews. With every interview, she learned how to improve her performance. She would review the materials she didn’t know well after each interview. After a while, she started to get job offers, eventually accepting one with a financial company that requires automation, earning a six-figure salary.

How CYDEO Helps You Get Hired After Bootcamp

So, what’s the secret to CYDEO’s success in producing job-ready graduates? We spoke with Guljannat from the Market Placement Department at CYDEO to find out.

Guljannat herself is a graduate of CYDEO and has been with the company since completing her training. Her responsibilities include providing students with support from Day 1 until they graduate and get a job.

Guljannat manages mentors and support teams of ongoing batches. Below she tells us about the CYDEO support team and activities that help students succeed and land jobs.

Mentors’ Support

There are two types of mentors at CYDEO – full-time mentors and part-time alumni mentors. While full-time mentors support students throughout their program, alumni mentors work with students who start applying for jobs. Alumni mentors review resumes, give advice, and share their experiences on how they received job offers.

Market Groups

For students who are almost ready to enter the tech job market, CYDEO organizes market groups for each batch. Market groups are aimed at preparing students to apply for job openings. Each market group will go on for two or three weeks. During this period, the school arranges various market sessions.

Market Sessions

Guljannat coordinates market sessions with instructors. Students receive help to build their resumes and LinkedIn profiles. They learn how to connect with recruiters and how to communicate and negotiate with them. Students are also introduced to various job application websites, and how to look for openings and apply for jobs.

Mock Interviews

CYDEO arranges mock interviews for a specific market group of students. The school invites mentors and alumni to interview the students. If the student passes a mock interview, it means they are ready to apply for jobs. If they fail, they get constructive feedback from interviewers. The feedback guides students to learn which topics need to be reviewed.

Market Experience Sharing Sessions

For students who are already on the market, CYDEO organizes market experience-sharing sessions. Guljannat invites alumni who got job offers, especially those from the same batch, to become guest speakers to share their experiences with their peers. They talk about their challenges, how they aced the interview and got an offer, and share tips to motivate the students.

Fast Track Program

CYDEO has a fast-track program for students who delay applying for jobs for whatever reason. The program features a two-month recap of the seven-month course. Alumni mentors are assigned to the students in the program to motivate and help them succeed in the job market.

Mental Coaching Program

If a student is struggling due to a low level of confidence, CYDEO ensures that they receive help through its mental coaching program. Coaches are assigned to help students overcome mental barriers or issues of self-doubt and low self-confidence that keep them from starting a rewarding career in tech.

Upskill Training

Alumni who already have tech jobs but wish to upskill to grow professionally can undergo CYDEO’s upskill training. The training covers advanced topics not included in the curriculum. Any alumni can participate in upskill training to learn new tools and languages and refresh their knowledge.

Beat the Impossible with CYDEO

CYDEO was founded by people who understand the struggles in life. They invested in themselves to alter their life by acquiring tech skills. Owing to this, they understand the challenges experienced by underrepresented communities, especially women.

The school offers an alternative path to an IT profession and a fulfilling life for women without a coding background or computer literacy. All you need is a strong will to see a change for the better in your life. Through its robust career support services, CYDEO makes sure alumni success is possible.

So, go ahead and make that change. Sign up now to unlock your tech career.