When Tess Roseburrough first went to college, she was leaning toward a major in computer science. In fact, her college roommate was a comp-sci major. But when it came time to declare a concentration, she swerved at the last minute, opting instead to major in English and Spanish so that she could pursue a career as a teacher.
After earning her degree from Central College in Iowa, Tess went on to be a teacher stateside, as well as in China. She returned home to the U.S. and she couldn’t shake her interest in technology. She began investigating what it would take to be a coding teacher, but then was contacted by a Dev10 recruiter.
“After speaking with a recruiter, I realized I didn't just want to teach it, I actually wanted to do it,” she said.
Soon after that initial contact from a recruiter, Tess decided to take the leap.
Speaking the Language of Code
While it may seem that teaching Spanish and English doesn't have much in common with computer science, Tess has a different take.
“When I started to look more closely at computer science and programming, I realized that there were a lot of similarities, syntax-wise, language-wise,” she said. “I saw bridges there that I hadn't before.”
Tess started her Dev10 training in March 2023 and acknowledges that the 12 weeks of coding instruction was intense.
“The days were long, but I had amazing instructors that took a lot of time out of their day outside of the normal hours to help,” she said, adding that her fellow cohort members also provided much-needed support.
“I was also fortunate enough to have supportive and interactive peers that wanted to get together and study the material when it was appropriate to do so,” she said.
Today, Tess is on a client assignment with a major U.S. airline as a technical product engineer.
Learning How to Learn
While the Dev10 training didn’t prepare her for every aspect of her current responsibilities, it did teach her how to learn.
”Dev10 really taught me how to drink through a fire hose at a reasonable rate,” she said, acknowledging that while it sounds like an oxymoron, her client assignment has required her to do just that – enter a new environment knowing very little, but understand how to break challenges down into simple steps.
In addition to learn new skills, Tess is also helping to break down barriers. While women make up 47 percent of all employed adults in the U.S., they hold only 28 percent of computing and mathematical roles, according to data from Zippia. Tess attributes the small percentage of women in tech to cultural barriers – some seen and some unseen.
“It's not like anybody said you can't be a developer,” she said. “It's not like anyone said don't go into computer science or programming.” But, she noted, when she was growing up, she was never encouraged to pursue technology as a hobby or a career.
“I got handed paint brushes, I got handed pens for writing. I was given things that honed my creativity… It's about where you direct a child's attention. If you give them water and sunlight in a really specific direction, they're going to face that direction, right?”
Dev10 provided the water and sunlight Tess needed to transition to a career in tech. And she recommends Dev10 to others who might also be looking for a nurturing environment to make a change.
"I absolutely would recommend Dev10," she said. "From the learning process, to the quality of instructors, to the opportunities that they have provided... Dev10 has changed the course of my life.”
Watch Tess's Video
Click on the questions below to hear Tess's answers
