Thank you for sharing David and Doina! That's an interesting career transition.
"It was intimidating at first, but I saw that it wasn’t just about coding. It was about being curious, solving problems, being creative, and making an impact."
I can relate! It can be very intimidating. I learned to rely on similar traits (which all happen to start with C, so I call them the 5 Cs 😂):
- Curiosity
- Collaboration
- Creativity
- Critical thinking
- Commitment
I feel that Doina and Andreas D. should connect too :)
Thank you so much for your kind words! I love the 5 Cs you shared – such a great way to frame this journey😊 It’s so reassuring to hear that we’re all leaning on the same qualities, like curiosity and creativity, to help us grow.
I’d absolutely love to connect with Andreas D. too and keep learning together!
As someone who transitioned from translation into tech, I know imposter syndrome quite well. It all felt so overwhelming in the beginning. I was constantly asking myself whether I was throwing punches outside of my weight class, so to speak.
But with every new thing I learned and with every step I took out of my comfort zone, I grew. My confidence grew. I managed to go all the way up to product owner, agile coach, scrum master, senior project manager. And it fills me with pride.
Today, I provide advice on my Substack for people who want to transition into tech, especially those of us who don't have a STEM degree.
Truly, great job, Doina! With your attitude, you will go places. I know this!
Thank you so much for your kind words!😊 Your journey is truly inspiring, and it’s amazing to see how you turned challenges into such incredible accomplishments. I admire how you’re now helping others with their own transitions – it’s such a generous way to give back.
I’m so grateful for your encouragement, and I’ll do my best to keep learning and growing. Thank you again, it means a lot!
"When I first thought about building my personal brand, I believed it had to be flawless. I was afraid that showing any vulnerability would make me seem unprofessional."
Especially this resonated a lot with me.
I have a background in life sciences and I felt the same when I started working as a software engineer. I felt I needed to have everything figured out and I was embarrassed of not knowing some stuff. Of course this made impostor syndrome worse and the whole learning experience a bit more painful 😅
Luckily, I've been mostly surrounded by kind and supportive colleagues that, despite my initial struggles, never made me feel like I didn't belong. They also helped me understand that not knowing something is not the end of the world and, surprise! Learning a new field became a much pleasant experience when I accepted I could ask for help :)
Similarly, when I became an Engineer Manager I realized this kind of vulnerability helps me connect better with my team. I would like to pay it forward and I aim for creating work environments in which "vulnerability" is not a flaw and we all have the space to make mistakes.
Thank you for sharing David and Doina! That's an interesting career transition.
"It was intimidating at first, but I saw that it wasn’t just about coding. It was about being curious, solving problems, being creative, and making an impact."
I can relate! It can be very intimidating. I learned to rely on similar traits (which all happen to start with C, so I call them the 5 Cs 😂):
- Curiosity
- Collaboration
- Creativity
- Critical thinking
- Commitment
I feel that Doina and Andreas D. should connect too :)
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks, Karo ❤️
Thank you for reaching out. I’ll definitely give it a read. Sounds very interesting! 😊
Thank you so much for your kind words! I love the 5 Cs you shared – such a great way to frame this journey😊 It’s so reassuring to hear that we’re all leaning on the same qualities, like curiosity and creativity, to help us grow.
I’d absolutely love to connect with Andreas D. too and keep learning together!
Vulnerability can be perceived as weak, but often it is the strongest of us that leverage to build ourselves up and connect with others.
Yes, it’s a bridge towards growth if you let it be.
Doina and David, thank you very much for sharing!
As someone who transitioned from translation into tech, I know imposter syndrome quite well. It all felt so overwhelming in the beginning. I was constantly asking myself whether I was throwing punches outside of my weight class, so to speak.
But with every new thing I learned and with every step I took out of my comfort zone, I grew. My confidence grew. I managed to go all the way up to product owner, agile coach, scrum master, senior project manager. And it fills me with pride.
Today, I provide advice on my Substack for people who want to transition into tech, especially those of us who don't have a STEM degree.
Truly, great job, Doina! With your attitude, you will go places. I know this!
Thank you so much for your kind words!😊 Your journey is truly inspiring, and it’s amazing to see how you turned challenges into such incredible accomplishments. I admire how you’re now helping others with their own transitions – it’s such a generous way to give back.
I’m so grateful for your encouragement, and I’ll do my best to keep learning and growing. Thank you again, it means a lot!
Thank you very much! That’s so awesome to read. 🙂
I can only return the compliment. Keep on inspiring people. I am curious to learn where your path will lead you.
I love this piece!
"When I first thought about building my personal brand, I believed it had to be flawless. I was afraid that showing any vulnerability would make me seem unprofessional."
Especially this resonated a lot with me.
I have a background in life sciences and I felt the same when I started working as a software engineer. I felt I needed to have everything figured out and I was embarrassed of not knowing some stuff. Of course this made impostor syndrome worse and the whole learning experience a bit more painful 😅
Luckily, I've been mostly surrounded by kind and supportive colleagues that, despite my initial struggles, never made me feel like I didn't belong. They also helped me understand that not knowing something is not the end of the world and, surprise! Learning a new field became a much pleasant experience when I accepted I could ask for help :)
Similarly, when I became an Engineer Manager I realized this kind of vulnerability helps me connect better with my team. I would like to pay it forward and I aim for creating work environments in which "vulnerability" is not a flaw and we all have the space to make mistakes.
Doina is always so insightful and I'm grateful she truly does share her vulnerability in such a genuine way that's hard to find in tech! 😍
Thank you for writing this Doina and thank you, David, for having her as a guest!