Maryll is a Zuitt graduate and a working student. Balancing the weight of occasional freelance work and a full-time job alongside her studies, Maryll’s here to show us that while she did, in fact, have doubts prior to joining the program, it ended up being very worthwhile for her career plans as she went on to prioritize her time and growth.
Joining a coding program is costly, but just like any investment, it serves a greater purpose for your skills.
In this article, we get to hear from the perspective of a hardworking career woman who will stop at nothing to achieve her wants and dreams in life. Read what Maryll says about her experience joining Zuitt’s Tech Career Program, which is designed to kickstart her future career.
(Interviewed and written by Akiko Iwai)
—— Introduce yourself to the Zuitt Community.
Hi, guys! I’m Maryll Driz, one of the Zuitt graduates from their program. I’m from Batch 297. Currently, I am a working student with full-time work and full-time schooling, plus I have two freelancing jobs in Australia and the US.
I was 25 years old when I started learning coding. Coding is my passion, that’s why I decided to join Zuitt as my training camp (for coding). I prefer to call it “training camps” since it’s more fun and challenging.
– Why did you study Web Development?
My aspirations for learning web development are not specifically because of web development but because of software development. It was mainly the challenges that I frequently faced during my first course that drove my passion for coding.
When I finish my current degree, I will have two degrees. It was really fun for me, especially in my early 20s, but now that I’m in my mid-20s, it’s really about upskilling and accepting more challenges. I also have the drive and passion to finish what I’ve started.
– Why did you study Web Development?
At first, there are always nerves and fears, mainly because of the computer requirements or whether you can find an employer after completing the course. Most importantly, financially, I have to support myself because of my situation as a working student. This is one of the most significant risks of investments I did for myself. I’m at the point where I am fulfilled with no regrets because everything I invested in Zuitt already came back to me in many positive ways.
As a student who enrolled using Zuitt’s Study Now, Pay Later (SNPL), it really helped me a lot because, during my training with Zuitt, my worries about having to pay every month during my training period were less. Later on, when I could find work with a new employer, it got easier for me to pay for my training.
– What did you like the most about Zuitt’s program?
I prefer detailed information or well-divided topics. When I entered Zuitt, all the information provided to me was so refined—even with different instructors. From the syntax and how it’s used to the brackets and minute lessons, everything was taught in ways that were easy to understand. When it came to asking questions, we were barely able to ask any questions because the lesson that they taught us was very detailed.
Zuitt Instructors are teaching experts in their field. When they taught full-stack, I was amazed how well they delivered the lessons. They had guidelines ready for us, they put so much effort into teaching us from basics to intermediate, and they were so open to questions, too.
Zuitt instructors are friendly. The lessons weren’t strict, and it didn’t feel stiff and unapproachable. My class schedule was during the afternoon, 5:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M., so it’s approaching nighttime when people are getting tired so there are times that you can’t help but be sleepy. Some of us just clocked out from work to study or came from their office to immediately log in to class. Our instructors were amazing at keeping our attention span because they made the classes fun. It was so interactive even if our classes were online only.
– Any advice to those considering joining a program like Zuitt?
For program experience, I suggest going through with it. Take risks. Don’t be discouraged. Everything has its reasons. If you keep that confidence in yourself, you can follow through with what you started. If you keep thinking that it’s too difficult, it’ll ruin your mindset about moving forward. It’s best to keep thinking that you can do it. “I can do it. I can do everything as long as I finish this training.” You’ll be able to come out of the training learning something new every day. Don’t let yourself leave class without learning anything new – that will only leave you with a disadvantage, especially against the youth in today’s workforce. The ones that I’m enrolled with, some of them are 19 years old and they’re amazing with their skills. That’s one of the challenges that we, the older generation, will be facing in the next years to come. Just keep having the mindset that we, adults or older folk, can still compete with the market today.
Another soft skill I also learned from Zuitt is to not be shy and to be more outspoken. When I first joined the program, even the instructors knew that I was very shy and not that open to speaking. It was only later on, with the program, I learned to be more confident.
– What is your message to Zuitt’s future students?
Always have the patience to upskill after the training. You shouldn’t be purely relying on the program for all your knowledge. It’s a big red flag for your career. You shouldn’t be staggering in your learning. You should always continue learning. Once you get used to your habits of learning, you’ll feel the changes. Once you’re starting this transition, you need to keep at it so your body can get used to the routine. Especially for newbies and career shifters, you must prepare yourself with this discipline and expect possible burnouts. Another thing I want to remind others is that you must be physically and emotionally ready. If you just head on to the program just because society is saying that this is what’s “hype”, that’s just too risky. Programming is a lifetime commitment of learning, so it’s really advisable that you’re 100% committed. If you just hop on the bandwagon, then you need to expect that it won’t be easy for you. Tech is tech, and management is different in itself. As long as you remember these reminders, which have helped me throughout my journey so far, I’m sure it will work well for you.
If you have a similar experience to share with our boot campers, drop us a message at marketing@zuitt.co.
