Due to the health emergency caused by COVID-19, the last few months have been a roller coaster for the vast majority of people, in some cases it has even felt like a “free fall”, without certainty of when things will stabilize; but humans as an evolved species, can “surf” the wave, and continue to seek options that bring us closer to our goals.
This is how at Laboratoria we have been giving continuity to our bootcamp, and we have pleasantly seen how many women continue betting on learning about the tech sector and see a space to contribute and grow professionally and personally within the software development industry. This is why we decided to talk directly with some of the applicants - and now students - of the most recent cohorts at the Bogota and Santiago sites. We felt that having enrolled in the bootcamp just under a month ago, they are the ideal people to answer: Why is this a good moment to apply to Laboratoria?
Constanza Valenzuela, a student of the 14th generation from Santiago shares that “In November last year I was dismissed from the company where I worked. As I faced the difficulty of finding another job, I felt that not having a degree made it very difficult for me to find new work experiences in other areas. I began to brainstorm ideas to take courses or study a technical career."
Gabriela Rincón, student of the first(!) cohort in Bogota, agrees: Yes, this is a unique time, but perhaps under other circumstances I would have gotten a job that did not have flexible hours and I would have continued to postpone what I had been looking for for a long time: my self improvement and knowledge.
Pamela Barboza, an Argentine who has lived in Chile for less than a year, points out that the world is going through a unique time, full of uncertainties, with complex socio-economic challenges in different parts of the region:
“I decided to apply at this moment due to my financial situation: I did not have a job. The province of the country I come from is facing a complex situation. I really wanted to grow and that's why I came to another country looking for a future and wanting to carry out my dream of being able to enter the world of programming because I believe that this is the sector where the best possibilities are. "
As for the timing… Why now? Why apply right in the middle of this pandemic that the world is experiencing? Pamela says: I applied to Laboratoria because I think that any moment is a good time to study programming. And for me, Laboratoria primarily came to give me the tools to work, and to work on what I like, because since I learned about programming I have known that this is where I want to develop myself.”
Constanza shares: “I lost my job as a result of the social unrest that took place in October and it became impossible for me to re-enter the workforce. My process at Laboratoria began when quarantine was beginning and I felt that if I had been unoccupied all this time, there was a reason for it. I think that I would not have applied at another time; if I had had a steady job or if life had run its usual course, I would not have done it. Somehow the outbreak and the pandemic made me see that there are things that cannot be done tomorrow and we must take advantage of the moment we have. "
In Gabriela's case, being part of the bootcamp, but remotely, has brought positive aspects: “Due to the pandemic, the learning format had to be adapted to work remotely, allowing greater access and availability. Under conventional circumstances I would have had to spend about 6 hours a day on public transportation to get from my home to the training center, and then to work."
We could say that the world is experiencing a turning point, a defining moment, one of those that remain in the history books. For many women this is also a turning point and a 180° turn in their personal stories. If you were wondering, is this it? Could it be done? Our answer would be "Why not?"
*Translated by: RunaHR Team - Service Day 2020
