From a Teacher to a Software engineer at MailChimp in 1 year by Iris Nevins

In 2018, Iris Nevins landed a job as a software engineer at MailChimp, an Atlanta-based marketing automation platform (although Iris works remotely in Oakland). Quick trivia: MailChimp sends out a whopping billion emails per day!

Iris sits down with the Artur Meyster, Ruben Harris and Timur Meyster on the Breaking Into Startups Podcast to share how she learned how to code and receiving 6 figures offers from Mailchimp and Reddit after graduating from a coding bootcamp.

In 2017, Iris Nevins decided to leave her work as a teacher in Florida to attend a bootcamp in the Bay Area - but it was not without its own struggles. Iris shares her belief that when you’re on your path, no matter the road blocks, serendipitous things will happen.

Fun fact, Iris was one of the early listeners of the Breaking Into Startups and initially wanted to learn how to code to combine her passion for coding with tech activism.
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Interview in Podcast Format 📻
https://breakingintostartups.com/made...

💡 Highlights of the interview :

[02:40] Here's a brief overview of MailChimp, its mission, its 17-year slow journey, and the different types of teams in the company (They don't have a sales team!)

[06:00] How MailChimp inspired her at the beginning of her journey, not realizing it until after she started working there.

[11:50] Iris shares her bootcamp experience, the personal sacrifices she had to make, having a solid support group, things she did to develop her self-esteem, and creating her one-year plan - a special shoutout to this podcast!

[22:33] After learning coding tutorials, Iris applied to bootcamps and ended up getting rejected by Hack Bright just a few days before flying out to California. Learn how she hustled through the struggle!

[33:10] Iris walks us through her Dev Bootcamp experience while stressing the importance of discipline and why you don't have to be a math person to learn how to code.

[40:57] Some key takeaways from Iris' challenges during bootcamp and why she finally decided to run a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe.

[52:15] The job hunt experience: Why she fell in love with MailChimp, how she negotiated with them to drastically up her signing bonus, and the power of selling yourself

[59:38] Iris breaks down her formula to success in breaking into tech: plan + knowledge + hard work

[01:05:15] Perceived disadvantages: What Iris learned from being a teacher that helped her along her journey. Iris shares some insights into teaching kids today!

[01:10:55] Iris defines social justice and why nonprofit and social justice groups are key to changing the world. Iris talks about how Organeyez is helping out these groups.

[01:18:15] Iris shares her insights into being open to change, strengthening relationships, and why she chose Oakland over the Bay.

[01:26:00] Iris shares some details about her job at MailChimp and how it involves a lot of problem-solving skills!