Chand Tjingaete

Tell us about yourself? (Where you come from, why you wanted to be a programmer)

When I started my career After high school, I went into Culinary Studies with the goal of being a chef. In that time, I also worked as a gymnastics coach and did a computer science course, so it was fair to say that though I had a clear direction I was planning on going, I was very open to exploring other avenues. I worked in Hospitality after finishing my studies, but I eventually realised that it was an experience industry where nobody is willing to follow your leadership simply because of a degree.

I then left the industry and decided to fall back on my little computer science knowledge. I then spent my 2020 & 2021 studying various programming languages and concepts

How did you feel when you got chosen for the programme?

More than anything else, excited. The chance to start a career in a new industry was very exciting. It was more than a fresh start; it was a chance to pursue something I enjoyed- in a growing industry that I could eventually specialise in. There was also significantly less chance of reaching a ceiling the way I would in hospitality.

I felt excited to get the opportunity, almost to the point where I wasn’t nervous. It was intimidating as well; I had heard about how I was chosen from a larger group. I felt fearful that I wouldn’t have the competence to compete with the other interns.

What was your expectation of the programme?

I didn’t think it would be as long as it was. I didn’t know what to expect in terms of the workload, but in terms of the concepts and the logic, I had a vague idea. I thought it would be a larger group and had no idea how much information would be jammed into such a short time. I didn’t expect as much one-on-one attention, I was under the assumption that it would be a classroom style of teaching. 
I thought that I’d learn new technologies in a shorter time than a university course and do so in such a way that I would be able to implement the knowledge in real world projects.

Did the programme meet your expectations?

The programme has exceeded my expectations. For one, the amount of knowledge we gained in this time. I never expected to learn the things that I have. I also thought it would take much longer for us to be put in projects, simply because we were starting from virtually zero. I assumed we would be taught, practice and then to only start work next year.

What are some important things you learned from the programme?

I’ve learned the importance of time management and being constantly willing to continue learning. Yes, I’ve been taught to build and deploy applications, which is the job description, but I’ve learned a plethora of soft skills like business communications, working in, leading, and depending on a team and most importantly, I’ve learned to teach myself skills that I am lacking. When we began, we’d run to our educators for every problem we had- fast forward to present day, we can all debug our own apps and find solutions without having to run to our seniors constantly. Knowing that they are there as a last resort, but not being so dependent on them as if we are helpless without them.

How were the teachers?

The educators that we had were nothing short of phenomenal. To say that our group would not have succeeded without them, would not only be a massive understatement, but would also be doing a disservice to them. They were patient with us and ever ready to fill our knowledge gaps. I have never seen knowledge transfer take place the way I have seen here, and should I ever have a company with a training programme, I would be incredibly fortunate to have educators like the ones I have had.

What was your favourite things about the teachers?

Their willingness and the patience to teach us through the frustrations of dealing with a group of individuals from different backgrounds and different experience levels. The group I was in was very stubborn at times and certain concepts we just refused to learn. An example of this is writing steps. Our educators broke everything down into minute, practical tasks and did a great job at making us understand the importance of certain lines of thought and ways to attack hinderances regarding the work. Another notable point was how the educators treated us like we were people and not like numbers. They took our personal lives into consideration and never made it be a threat to the work

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

I see myself with my own practice. I want to be an educator, I always have. In 5 years, I will either have a company where I can train developers or working for a company, heading the training department. I will be a Tech Lead or a senior developer, either way, I will be that much closer to being a master in my field.