Angela Maugey was burnt out on the culinary world. After seven years as a chef and a stint teaching cooking skills to hospital patients, she realized that her future was not in the kitchen. Having a coder for a partner, she was exposed to the wonders of Raspberry Pi — a small computer used to learn basic programming through practical projects — before taking some free online courses. “I was spending increasing amounts of my spare time in front of the computer, enjoying what I was doing,” Maugey says.

With a coding career in her sights, Maugey began researching programs near home. On a friend’s recommendation (who happened to be a General Assembly alum), Maugey looked into GA and saw it offered not just great instruction, but a supportive community. After chatting with the team at GA London and attending an open evening, Maugey discovered she was eligible for a scholarship that could be used for the full-time Web Development Immersive (WDI) program. That sealed the deal: “I was pretty anxious about making such a big change to my life ... but the scholarship was way too big an opportunity to turn down, so I went for it!”

As Maugey puts it, “the course was intense.” Designed as a full career accelerator, WDI taught her both vital coding skills — including JavaScript, APIs, and Git — and how to problem-solve for bigger projects. The collaborative learning environment also provided the support needed to succeed and grow her network of coding professionals. “I made some great friends and excellent contacts to take with me through my coding career,” says Maugey. “We formed our own homework club and coded out problems together. We really helped each other.”

After the rigors of the Intensive came the challenges of the job search process. Maugey says that she was nervous, but knew she wasn’t alone in her job search, backed by support and guidance from the GA Outcomes team. “I was pretty anxious about writing CVs, interviews, and the like,” she says. “But there was an endless amount of resources and always someone from Outcomes available to give advice.” Eventually, Maugey found her first coding role at an on-site Meet and Hire event hosted by the Outcomes team. As a junior software engineer at OnCare, a company aimed at solving the elderly care crisis through tech, Maugey builds software that helps in-home care workers do their jobs more easily.

In addition to a 36% pay increase from her previous role, she also enjoys more satisfaction from her work: “I love the feeling I get from breaking down a problem and finding a solution, and the sense of pride I have seeing my code being used live in the world!”

You can love your work, too. Whether you want to start a new career, advance your current role with coding skills, or be empowered to pursue your passions, there’s an option for you.