Wendy Became a Programmer at a Prestigious University
It All Started With Geocities and Skateboarding
Even as a small child, Wendy Maldonado’s intense curiosity has always subconsciously propelled her to regularly fortify her cognitive skills. In contrast to the proverb, “It was curiosity that killed the cat,” an obvious maxim used to warn of the dangers of unnecessary investigation or experimentation for a time long past, Wendy’s approach to life has always been unconventional and forward thinking for a time in desperate need of constant adaptation to a world rapidly reinventing itself. As a child, her interest in computers coincided with the emergence of the World Wide Web. In the late ’90s, Wendy pushed herself to make another technical leap when she began teaching herself to design websites about her favorite hobby at the time, skateboarding. The hours she spent on the Internet searching for answers to the millions of questions driving change were not wasted.
“I used to spend hours playing around with Geocities and other user-created web page tools, just to see what I could build and how I could add graphics and different colors,” Wendy recalled.
Wendy satisfied her creative outlook studying liberal arts at Citrus College. Wendy earned her Associate of Arts degree, but soon realized real artistic endeavors weren’t going to pay the bills. Always thinking ahead, she reasoned with her practical side and applied those critical thinking skills of hers to the task. Academia did not accurately convey the landscape of the real world. At the time she was also interested in traveling. Not wasting any time, Wendy joined the U.S. Air Force.
Joining the Air Force meant that Wendy was the least likely to be put in harm’s way. Additionally, there were all the VA benefits tied to serving in the military. Her computer skills were recognized by her superiors, and Wendy began using her soft skills to be all that she could be. She eventually became responsible for managing inventory, administrating and operating supply systems to ensure fiscal accountability for all of the utilized supplies. Wendy was promoted to supervise the Asset Management team. There she enhanced her soft skills to perform under pressure, exhibit leadership, and refine her self-motivation abilities. Wendy was again promoted to the Chemical Warfare Material Management and Logistics team, and there she began working with databases.
Wendy then expanded expertise by attending the Community College of the Air Force. There she received her Logistics Management, Associate of Applied Science degree. Once honorably discharged from her service with the Air Force, Wendy sought a logistics position in the private sector, even though that was not where her passion lay.
After being honorably discharged, Wendy worked for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) as an Office Automation Assistant while she used her G.I. Bill to complete her higher education at Cal State Los Angeles. She received her bachelor’s degree in anthropology.
Wendy’s service in the military enhanced her opinions about working within a team, especially from a creative viewpoint. She regarded sharing insights and exchanging views as a heightened learning process within the team approach.
Wendy didn’t want to push paper anymore, so she left the NLRB and obtained a position with Samy’s Camera as a Web Developer’s Assistant. There she saw her future more clearly while she managed the web property on a Content Management System. Wendy was at Samy’s Camera when she began inquiring about coding bootcamps.
Wendy was a part of Cohort 36, Dan Farino’s first instructional assignment at Sabio. Since Wendy is Wendy, the recent classroom experience with Dan was a wonderful learning experience, and his close interaction which each fellow was both informative and comforting. There she reflects how Dan taught her to convincingly think out-of-the-box, instilling the reality that there are multiple paths to creating a solution. The whole Sabio experience was so enriching, Wendy feels grateful to have been immersed in it.
“Our time with Instructor Dan was so informative,” Wendy recalled. “He emphasized the rules over and over and fully covered the programming guidelines. We didn’t waste any time on theoretical summaries.”
Wendy worked on the BLAK Fintech project, while studying in the cohort. Three weeks after graduating from Sabio, she was hired at the University of Southern California. Wendy is working as a programmer building a web application dealing with historical archives related to the Holocaust survivors. In this role, she’s able to merge her anthropology interests with her new technical expertise. The project is being funded by the USC Shoah Foundation. The position is dramatic fiscal windfall for Wendy, whose salary increased from $30,000 annually.
Get to know Sabio via one of our Meetups or Info Sessions
Hear directly from our fellows via our Course Report reviews.
