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Alas, the move proved to be initially catastrophic for her career. She sought positions for which she was qualified, in Data Engineering, but every company asked for fluency in German (she took classes in the language, of course, but one can only learn so quickly).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt really didn\u2019t help that I was in such a small place, and that I knew no one. In a new context you need someone to guide you \u2013 someone to show you how to write and format your CV for the environment, where to apply, when and how. My husband was supportive, but he worked in a different field \u2013 he couldn\u2019t really help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both to improve her odds and as a way of occupying her time, Shreya made the decision to update her technical knowledge so that it would align with the local labour market. But here too she faced obstacles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI tried to sign up for a Masters program at Koblenz University, but I was turned down,\u201d she says with a shrug, seemingly not bitter about it. \u201cThey said they would not consider people without a background in specific programming languages. The weird thing is that I did<\/em> have that background, just not all of it from academia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey wanted C, and I\u2019d done that in my degree. They wanted Java, and I\u2019d learned about that \u2013 but through work, rather than university. Admittedly I had never touched C++. Maybe that\u2019s what tipped the balance against me, I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She turned to the online course provider Coursera, tried to update her knowledge about Data Science by herself. \u201cIndependent learning worked\u2026 but far too slowly. Doing this sort of thing alone is really difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was in this period, as she explored (with growing fatigue) her options for training, that a small ad for a coding bootcamp started flashing from a corner of her browser. Coding bootcamps were an option she hadn\u2019t tried yet \u2013 but also one she knew nothing about. She decided to give their admissions manager a call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat first conversation turned out to be interesting. The school offered the option to study Data Science, but I told them categorically that I was looking for the most direct route to find a job. They listened to my requests, assessed my situation, and in the end suggested that I go with the Web Development bootcamp instead. I hadn\u2019t considered that avenue, but it seemed like an interesting change of specialisations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI did a bit of background research, and the results were promising. There were so many testimonials by people saying they\u2019d found a job through a coding bootcamp, and not just because of the certification these provided. What seemed to make a difference were the professional networks these schools were already plugged into, their internal services to assist you when job-hunting, the way they could help streamline you towards employment. That was exactly<\/em> what I had been missing until then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.wbscodingschool.com\/files\/AdobeStock-by-Tomasz_435805725_Editorial_Use_Only-1024x682.jpeg\")
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