How do you get to work in a technology company after you've worked in another field before?
The road to a profession begins when you are very young, not even an adult. At the end of high school, you are preparing for college, you are admitted and you are pursuing university studies. Then from the student, you become a graduate, from a graduate employee, and thus you get to accumulate information and experience and to be proficient in your field of activity. But it is not uncommon for the things you know to do, as a result of decisions made in other life circumstances, not to be the same as the things you want to do. What seems to be a source of internal conflict is a great opportunity for development, in a world where jobs appear that I did not even dream of a few years ago and in which changing your profession in adulthood is no longer a decision. unusual.
Today, the phone you have in your pocket has a much higher processing power than the high-performance PC you typed on a decade ago when you imagined your professional destiny. The advancement of new technologies opens up countless career opportunities, to which you can have successful access even if the field in which you work is different.
The Want some IT Friendly Academy has been
on a mission for the past four years to help professionals in all fields make the transition to a successful career in information technology, through courses that follow the requirements of IT companies, internships, and -an intense mentoring activity calibrated to their needs.
1200 graduates and an employment rate of 70%
1,200 people took the courses offered by Want some to start a career in IT or to deepen their programming knowledge and get a better job in the field. Of these, 70% were hired, started an internship, or got a better job in IT, according to the 2019 data of the Academy, according to which the people trained by Want some found their place in the teams of 70 companies.
Founded in Iasi in 2017, Want some is today the largest independent education unit in the IT field in northeastern Romania. The quality and efficiency of its courses led to rapid development, and in 2019 the Academy expanded with a headquarters in Bucharest. "Want some is that friend you can count on at the beginning of the road, who supports you, who gives you confidence, who comes with recommendations, who explains to you very clearly what the industry expects, how prepared you need to be when knocking on the door, what skills do you have to succeed and prepare you for this throughout the process. We do simulations of technical and HR interviews, just so that nothing surprises you in the real interviews so that you are very prepared and go there without emotions
70% practice "for real"
Created out of a desire to support the industry with well-trained people for current jobs and a desire to help those in other fields make successful retraining, Want some has grown over time as a learning community for both learners and students. and for mentors. Want some currently offers courses for IT professionals who want to hone their skills, courses for those who want to begin a process of retraining in IT, customized courses for companies, and courses for students. Their success is based on the fact that during their time the experience of working on real projects in a company is simulated, 70% of the learning being represented by the “real” practice.
From medicine, geography, or theology to IT
(financial sector (banking/accounting), communication/marketing, sales, customer service, law, medicine/pharmacy, HoReCa., theology, geography, etc.). We could say that we met people from almost all fields of activity. At the same time, we have students/graduates who realize that the field for which they have prepared is not what they want and feel the need to rethink, and It is important to think of a better career
The move of the online activity due to the pandemic has opened the doors of the Academy to students from all over the country, but also from countries such as Italy, England, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Spain, France, the Republic of Moldova.
On the Want some website, in the news section, there are constantly uploaded success stories of graduates, who sometimes have a choice from the offers of several companies.
The Academy's motto, "More Than You Know," highlights how, through mentoring and hands-on experience, learners discover how much IT companies need not only their new technology knowledge but also their previous experience. in the fields from which they come and which can be transferred to an IT company.
"IT was an impractical field for me. We consider that you are born or not with skills to work in this area "
When we hear success stories, it always seems like it's the easiest thing we can do Want some is a meaningful project ", says the founder Iuliana Anton.
Often, the most difficult barrier to overcome is the mental barrier, according to a graduate of the manual testing course, who previously worked in the pharmaceutical field.
"The desire appeared after 3 years of working in the pharmacy. The pharmacy was my first love. I realized after 3 years that it won't be the last. I imagined myself doing this until retirement, but in this universe, many questions remained unanswered.
IT was an impractical field for me. We consider that you are born or not with skills to work in this area. Over time, I developed a desire to open a small window into this universe. I didn't dare open the door because I didn't even imagine I could reach for its handle. Before I started learning more about this area, I thought I would never be able to get in touch with this area. It seemed to me that people who work in IT have skills that they were born with and that it is impossible for someone who comes from such a different field to be able to at least be able to understand things. The challenge was to prove this to me so that I would not be left with uncertainties. It turned out that I can understand things, apply them, and even work in IT. On the morning of the next first day of work, it seemed to me that I was dreaming with my eyes open, it was a morning when I woke up with a smile on my face. I missed that feeling, "she said.
New courses and opportunities for graduates. Course programs are updated according to market requirements
Such transformations make Wantsome's story go further.
Three new courses will begin in the next period at the Academy: C & C ++ Programming (from September 21), React (from October 12, 2021); Project Management (October 2021; 100% teaching in English). These are in addition to the existing courses, which you can find in the Educational Offer section, where you can also find out the start dates of the new series. There is a section dedicated to students, who can discover the field of programming and develop their first game with JavaScript, guided by mentors and practitioners with a lot of experience in the field.
"The most important thing is that our students leave with their first project (worked during the course, under the guidance of experienced mentors) to prove what they have learned or with their first portfolio (in the case of the UI / UX Design course). Course programs are updated according to market requirements, we are always looking to develop courses that are in line with the requirements of IT companies and to develop a set of important skills for employment. We believe in learning for tomorrow, that's why we complement the educational offer with new programs, depending on which technologies are in full search and development (for example, the Low-Code market in Romania is just in training, so it is a fantastic opportunity for those who choose to learn now) ", underline the representatives of the Academy. Want some is the first IT school to offer Low-Code courses in partnership with Plant an App. The first series, of which 3 graduates were hired at Plant an App, has recently ended and registration has begun for the second series, which will take place in October 2021.
At Want some, companies can benefit from personalized courses and offers. "For example, one of the courses held this summer was for a test team. Thanks to the members of the team with a lot of experience, Want some can adapt existing educational programs or can develop from 0 to the needs of the clients ", states the Academy. 36 experienced trainers support over 49 mentoring programs with which you can build a career in IT.
Want some regularly organized free demonstration sessions. Those who want to go further follow a rigorous registration process, in two steps: a test that students give when they register on the site, followed by an acquaintance interview with us.
Consulting, coaching, and HR tips
"Starting from the results obtained and from the discussion with the candidates, we try to direct them to one course or another, depending on what would suit them. But beyond the consulting process we offer, the final choice is theirs and we highly recommend them to test, document themselves (such an important process for those who work in IT), and analyze themselves. It is not a choice we can make for them (we often laugh and say we want a crystal ball to see what is right for everyone), it is not like a process of buying a T-shirt, in which the saleswoman it can tell if a color suits us better or not. But we try very hard to explain to them what a job in the field entails and what expectations are from each role and what skills are needed. What is important to remember,
In addition to the consulting part at the beginning, there is a week of HR in the basic courses dedicated to counseling and preparing for the job interview. 1 HR and technical interviews with them. In addition to this information, depending on the field they come from, we direct them to apply to different IT companies that have projects for those fields. Thus, their previous knowledge will be maximized and will become pure gold for the team. The biggest plus they bring to the team is the knowledge that IT professionals need to learn on their own when working on various projects, to better understand the client and the end-user, ”say Want some mentors.
Students also benefit from dedicated coaching sessions, which address issues such as time management, developing a learning plan, developing soft skills (such as improving teamwork skills). And after completing their training, they become part of a community of graduates who Want regularly prepare new events and to whom it communicates job opportunities and important industry news.
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