After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Retail Management, my hopes were to one day become a buyer. My first job out of school was as an assistant buyer for a large retail company, but after working the job for a year I realized this wasn’t what I wanted to do.

I quit the job and dabbled into the beauty industry. In order to promote my services I decided that I wanted to have a website. Unfortunately I did not have the funds to hire someone to create it for me. I searched the web for free coding classes and from there, I was able to make a simple one page website using HTML and CSS. While building the site, I realized that web design was actually something I enjoyed and saw myself doing as a career.

When thinking about the transition from retail to tech, I became extremely overwhelmed and asked myself, ‘How do I get a job in tech without a tech background?’

For months I searched job sites for new prospects. I applied to a tech internship I had come across, and this is where I met Hatchways. Over the next six weeks, Hatchways provided me with different assignments to complete. They gave me helpful feedback and pushed me to complete projects and assignments I never thought I could do. Hatchways prepared me for interviews and set me up with potential employers. I showed my portfolio of projects to interviewers and they were very impressed.

Hatchways successfully placed me with a company called Furnishr. I really enjoy working for Furnishr because I get to work on various projects in my role, and I am learning something new everyday. Furnishr always makes sure I am focusing on areas I want to develop skills in, and provides me with resources to better my web design skills. I am currently working on redesigning the layout of the website and creating content for various pages.

Without Hatchways, I don’t think I could have found a tech internship on my own. They helped me build the skills employers are looking for and matched me with a company that I could grow in. I am very happy with my placement and enjoy coming into work everyday.