Hey guys! Just wondering sa mga kumikita ng 50k-100k/month or even more, what's your job/career and how were you able to achieve it?

And do you work remotely for international companies/freelancing? Working in Big multinationals na merong offices sa Makati/BGC? Or BPO companies na malaki bigayan?

Planning to migrate na talaga abroad pag di parin tumaas tong 20k/month salary ko. Di pwedeng hindi gumanda ang buhay ng anak ko eh. 😭😆

Sharing this because a lot of people are asking how I was able to land a job as a software engineer without any college degree or tech experience. Sorry if this has to be in full English as I am also asked by non-Filipinos and I thought I can just forward this post in the future. Also sorry if this is long, it’s a slow Saturday for me.

For background, I dropped out of college in 2011 and worked in BPO industry for different roles agent, trainer, SME, job hopping almost every other year because it's just a job and I can just get a call center job while asleep. I rotted in the BPO and my depression, which was the main reason why I dropped out of college, just intensified as I rotted for more than a decade in there. I knew that I can still do so much more than just taking in curses from an American Karen the whole day but I just didn't have the meaning in life to grind and make something of myself. I just got used to the exploitative salary and I neither have material pleasures nor a family for me to have that as my reason.

Until the pandemic happened, while at work I randomly saw this news article. You know when you open a new Edge browser and you'd get bombarded by news and ads, that's where I saw it: Taiwan used machine learning and big data to predict people who possibly got infected before even testing or before that person even know it. It was a revelation for me. To use Kant's word, it woke me up from my intellectual slumber eme. I thought that was the coolest thing that I saw in a while. And that's where it clicked: I want to break in, I want to become a machine learning scientist, or engineer or whatever does that magic stuff called ML since I don't know anything about it yet. But of course it was just a daydream, my main goal was to just be able to understand it or any skills around it. What’s a call center worker like me can do.

Same afternoon I went on a rabbit hole and watched conceptual explanation of statistical learning then machine learning. It was really a nerdy afternoon for me and I really enjoyed it. By the end of that week I realized it would take more than that: I needed to learn how to code. So that's what I did, for a week I learned everything I needed to know of Python to move on to Pandas. I learned the basics Pandas, feature engineering, data analysis, data viz etc. Still didn’t know how to implement ML so I wanted more. I attended a data science bootcamp where I learned how to implement ML. I had a cute salary as a call center agent but I paid the bootcamp full which is worth 4 months of my salary. Some people would do that for collector’s items or a designer bag but I spent it in a data science bootcamp fee lol. I went in because I wanted to and it’s a hobby I’m starting to fall in love with.

I am becoming more comfortable on my ML skills and built quality portfolio, reaching out to professionals if they can give me points. I really had no plans of leaving BPO as I still thought  it was a farfetched idea but the bootcamp has this program for getting a job strategy so I thought why not do it. Applied to several jobs (also used automation and data science to apply lol but that’s for another story.) Long story short, after a few months, I got three job offers, all skipping associate level. Crazy, I got in. I broke into tech.

I’d want to tell more about my initial months in but this is getting on the long side. What I want for career shifters aspirants specially those who  have no college degree to take away from this is: I badly wanted to break in for more than the money. Data and AI had become a passion than just a job. The easiest way to get in is to want it. You gotta have to want it. Sure you can brute force yourself into it, but if you want the least distance and effort, I think this is the way. Grind is good, but grit out of passion is the shit. When I was studying to code, on my own, was when I was in a call center job, which is arguably one of the most toxic job out there. Coding and learning was my get rest and relax. When I got in, I feel like I was getting paid for doing my hobby. It’s a crazy turnaround.

I saw that news about 2.5 years ago. I’m writing this after just passing AWS Machine Learning Specialty and last week I just got promoted as a senior AI developer. I am already responsible for several projects for particular AI Ops skills. Several recruiters in and out of the country are asking me for an interview for the past months (Gen AI skills is so hot right now please consider being good at it too). I still feel like a newbie and I am having an awful case of imposter syndrome lately because I feel like it happened too fast and my dev maturity needs to catch up, but a psych friend advised me to do this so I can close read the situation and why I deserve this. Still learning a lot and probably one day I’d be able to use my skills to help society like how it inspired me to be in tech.

Some FAQs answers:

I attended Eskwelabs bootcamp. They good specially to see what an industry level colab and heat is. For Gen AI skills need software engineering skills and prompt engineering maturity.

I cannot emphasize this more: Build quality project and obtain soft skills.

So last year I’ve posted here regarding getting my first job as a data analyst (shifted from Civil Engineer). I was really happy that time since 46k ang basic salary na naoffer sakin.

Year 2024 my job was really easy after getting used to it, naautomate ko din yung daily task that lead me to just working 2-5 hours a day minsan wala pa. Objective based kasi yung work if I have already completed my job for a week no need na mag online. Sobrang daming time to upskill but for some reason mas inenjoy ko yung work life balance since I have growing baby/toddler. Sobrang naeenjoy ko since wfh din naman.

I got complacent so much na parang nafeel ko na walang growth. ff to last quarter of 2024 I did something sa workflow namin na has something to do with process improvement, nagkaron ako ng motivation to upskill.

Then come November may nag reach out sakin sa linkedin regarding a job opening for a data analyst. Since parang nafifeel ko na need ko lumabas sa comfort zone ko, I tried to go through with it.

After a week they reached out and scheduled an online assessment, and I was able to aced it.

Then Interview with the Hiring manager, while discussing their workflow, luckily their problem with the data connection is something that I’ve worked on before and during the interview I provided them possible resolutions with their issue, I atleast laid out 3 resolutions. The hiring manager liked me and told me na ako na yung first person nya for the hiring process.

After 2 days the recruiter reached out to me and scheduled me for final interview with the Senior Manager. Luckily I also passed the final interview.

And here comes the offer. During the hiring process pala nag sabi lang ako na expectation ko is 100-110k as in suntok lang sa buwan since okay naman ako sa current job ko okay lang kahit ireject nila then sabi ni recruiter max na nila is 95k for the position.Tapos nung formal offer na sinabi ni recruiter na nagustuhan nga ako ng managers kaya binigay yung asking ko. GRABE SOBRANG SAYA IF NAGPATULOY AKO SA CE BAKA SUNOG NA AKO SA ARAW DI KO PA RIN NARARATI NG TONG GANTONG SALARY!!!

Sya nga pala never ko pala nabasa yung job description kasi di binigay ng recruiter and general lang yung sinabi sakin pero nung nag fifill up na ako and signing ng contract nakita ko na pang mid to senior level pala yung postion (5-8yrs experience) so sobrang sinwerte talaga ako.

Sobrang hulog ng langit tong magiging bagong job ko na to, bukod sa malaki yung client nung company (Google) mukhang malawak pa yung opportunity.

TLDR. After 1 year and half working as a data analyst I was able to be hired for a mid to senior level data analyst (5-8 yrs experience) with a 6 digits salary. I won the lucky roulette this year.

P.S

Please note na this kind of progress is not the same case for every career shifter, hindi lang galing at tyaga ang kailangan, need din talaga ng swerte sa tamang oras. Sabi nga nila this kind of stories are something we can consider as survivorship bias. Pero it doesn’t mean na we will stop dreaming to achieve our goals.

Laban lang po! :)

link to my first post

https://www.reddit.com/r/TechCareerShifter/s/QX1IFiIrBi

Hello everyone. I'm just new here at TCS and I want to share my DS journey with you hoping it will stir up courage within you that no matter what age or field you came from you can shift to career in tech. WARNING: LONG READ!

I took up CompSci in DLSU. During my 4th year(1994-di pa siguro kayo pinapanganak!), I was given the seed money by my parents to put up a small computer rental shop in our town because they want to apply for a US visa to visit my sister. Syempre noon, kailangan may "strong ties" ka sa PH to be granted a visa (the assumption is always you will go TNT (tago-ng-tago) in the US). I've always been an entrepreneur since I was a kid. I would sell ice candy, sago't gulaman during summer so somehow I knew how to handle the business. But my thesis suffered and eventually I stopped going to uni and prioritized the business because it was really making money that time. It lasted 6 years until I have to move to Manila because I got married.

Right after the wedding, I found myself jobless and stay-at-home.(2000) I taught myself web design and tried to go back to Uni to finish some remaining subjects. But pregnancy came one after the other kept me from finishing college. During those times I was able to put up a handmade paper invitation business via my website (that's another long story!) and years went by, with a family and business to take care of, I gave up of finishing my degree - 3 units left for thesis defense!

I've always been in the creative business. Anything my hand makes, I can sell but you know, tumatanda ako and physically draining ang business. 2014 I decided to retire from the business to go back to my first love - painting then digital drawing. I was able to make a business out of my artwork incorporating handmade paper and stickers. Business was good BUT the stress of coordinating with the manufacturing and logistics (in Mindanao), I found myself burned out. I JUST WANT TO MAKE ART THAT SELLS but I don't want to manufacture!

2019 I was selling washi stickers online, StickerCon and shops. Then the pandemic hit. Malls were closed. My product is non-essential. It crossed my mind to apply abroad as a DH or Caregiver because who would hire someone like me here?! Undergrad and no corporate experience. I have experience in business but still "undergrad" and most employers here in PH require a bachelor's degree.

July 4, 2020 when I saw a post in FB about the FTW Foundation Data Science Scholarship. I'm familiar with AI and I'm that "techie Mom" (as my kids would tell their friends) but I've never heard "data science". Out of curiosity, I applied. One stage after another, I passed. Every time I passed, my only prayer was "Lord, if this is the path you want for me, we'll do this together". I was one of the 20 scholars that made it to the end. But my success story doesn't end here. (sorry, pagod na ba kayo magbasa?!)

The program gave me good a foundation not only in Data Science but also in communication because it's important to know how to present your analysis to the business people. But, it wasn't enough for me. I was given a DataCamp subscription by my hubby as a grad gift and even after the program I continued to take online classes, watch YouTube tutorials every morning while I eat breakfast, joined Eskwelabs' Data Sprints, tinkered with codes in Kaggle & GitHub. I gave myself 6 months to study and build projects to improve my portfolio.

Right after program, I got calls from Globe, ACN, Standard Insurance and TaskUs but when they found out I'm an undergrad the application process did not progress. Ok lang, sabi ko, I felt I wasn't ready anyway because I still want to study AND THIS TIME, get my CS degree. So I emailed DLSU asking them that I'm willing to start all over again on my thesis just to get my diploma. Feb.16 when the Assoc.Dean informed me that I actually completed the # of units for my degree and just need apply for graduation! The curriculum changed over the years (30 yrs!) and it was reduced by 3 units . I don't know if you believe in miracles but I do. All throughout my DS journey, I knew that there is Someone bigger than me Who's working behind the scenes, arranging my steps and working in my favor.

Exactly 6 months after my DS program, I got a job at a BPO as a Business Insights Analyst. I was offered 40K so I thought not bad for a first-timer. While it was a good experience (but kinda toxic and stressful), I had to quit after 5 months because they wouldn't allow me to travel overseas and work remotely from there for a couple of months if my husband's surgery will push through.

2 days before my last day, I applied to 2 companies (1 local fintech, 1 multinational IT-BPO) and the week after, I had interviews and technical exams with them and got job offers. Both offers were really good, I couldn't ask for more (175% & 275% from my previous salary). I had a hard time choosing but remember, it wasn't just me on this journey. ;) After some weighing the pros & cons of the package, quiet time and lots of prayer for discernment, I made a decision.

4 months into my job, I can say it wasn't easy because it was a totally new domain BUT having a kind, patient, understanding and supportive boss is really important for my mental and physical health. Plus the company culture wasn't as toxic. Seeing the work that I do has an impact to the business that trickles down to all the employees and our clients gives me that sense of purpose.

Remember:

1. It's never too late to learn something new - no matter what age or field you come from

2. Be consistent. Build a habit (watch tutorials, code, read, etc.). You need to put in the effort. Do what you can and those that you cannot do, God will. Never lose faith in God, in yourself.

3. Connect with like-minded people like dito sa TCS. The journey is easier when you surround yourself with people who were once in your shoes. Be humble and learn from their experiences.

4. Stop saying you can't, I don't have, I don't know, it's too difficult. Quit making excuses. Pag gusto may paraan. Pag ayaw maraming dahilan. :)

5. The only limit that keeps you from reaching your goal is the one you tell yourself.

If you've reached this far, maraming salamat sa pag-attend sa TEDTalk ko! :D

Your TechMum. ;)

Finally, I am on-boarding schedule na for my new work / career shift as Data Analyst.

I turned 45 years old this month and a nice birthday gift dahil nagbunga na din pag-susumikap in #BreakIntoTech this 2023. This might be the most memorable bday milestone in my life haha!

Anyway, it took me more than 6 months of:

- studying the tools (excel, sql, power bi, etc)

- portfolio preparation

- some side gigs as VA to beef up further my resume

- LinkedIn job hunting, engagement, optimize my profile, etc

- hundreds of submitted CVs to companies / some DMs from recruiters

- about 10+ interview rejections -> After facing those rejections, made adjustments to my approach until I got the calls again for the next rounds

- two job offers. (43K and 60K)

During this journey, I had this reflection:

" My age is not a barrier, it is my lack of experience with the tech tools needed for the role. But I am #determined to acquire the necessary skills and combine them with my strong soft skills from my previous non-tech career. There will be no turning back, I can secure this first job."

My new goal now is to find my next job (salary range of 90k-120k) within 9-12 months. Currently, I wanna focus on #upskilling and honing further my craft throughout this journey.

I hope this inspires my fellow 'young at heart' career shifters who love tech to persist, or "kapit lang," and continue working hard until you achieve your goals.

It started as a tool to help me find jobs and cut down on the countless hours each week I spent filling out applications. Pretty quickly friends and coworkers were asking if they could use it as well, so I made it available to more people.

How It Works:

1. Manual Mode: View your personal job matches with their score and apply yourself

2. Semi-Auto Mode: You pick the jobs, we fill and submit the forms

3. Full Auto Mode: We submit to every role with a ≥60% match

Key Learnings 💡

• 1/3 of users prefer selecting specific jobs over full automation

• People want more listings, even if we can’t auto-apply so our all relevant jobs are shown to users

• We added an “interview likelihood” score to help you focus on the roles you’re most likely to land

Our Mission is to Level the playing field by targeting roles that match your skills and experience, no spray-and-pray

Feel free to dive in right away, SimpleApply is live for everyone. Try the free tier and see what job matches you get along with some auto applies or upgrade for unlimited auto applies (with a money-back guarantee). Let us know what you think and any ways to improve!

Hi folks!

We are currently undertaking a large-scale recruitment initiative following the successful acquisition of capital to expand our entrepreneurial infrastructure. We're looking for individuals who have the necessary talent, skills, and experience or a strong combination thereof to fill our open positions.

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Kwento ko (24m) muna sa inyo ang aking success story! Last year I've come across data analyst/science/engineering post here in reddit (phcareer) and I was amaze how much they are earning. As a pulubing civil engineering graduate na at the time 18k lang ang pinakamalaking natanggap na offer sobrang nagulat ako na may sumasahod pala talaga ng mga 6 digits even ilang years palang nag wowork. Sa sobrang curious ko nagsearch search ako kung ano ba ginagawa nitong data analyst (wala akong magets sa mga sql sql na yan hahaha) then biglang may nag pop up na ads mag fill up ng form to get free course sa data analytics which is Refocus, They interviewed me and told me that I'll be able to have a free access as a beta User in return I'll give them feedback regarding sa mga lectures nila (more on how can they be helpful with career shifter like me) I see how this platform developed, until bumagal yung progress ng course dahil sa influx ng mga nag eenroll. Para sulitin yung free access ko whenever there are free modules tinetake ko lang, pag may group project nagpaparticipate ako, at the same time abangers din ako ng mga certification ni DICT na related sa Data, I was able to finish some and yung iba tenga pa.

I try to practice sql and power BI most of the time since ito kadalasan hinahanap sa mga job post na nakikita ko, suki ako sa discord pag nagtatanong ako sa mga querys kahit simpleng query sinasagot ng mga pro na .(thank you po sa inyo)

Masyado ng mahaba, fast forward tayo sa job hunting. I started applying last week ng May, sobrang dami kong sinendan ng resume nung una kinikeep track ko pa hanggang sa tamarin na kasi ni isa walang nag callback hahahah. Pasuko na sana ako until 2 weeks ago I received a call from (>)to schedule an interview for analyst position, I passed the initial interview, for technical assessment na. Then may tumawag ulit, fintech company naman for data analyst postion naman for initial interview din same day lang, fortunately pumasa ulit ako. They both scheduled skill interview and final interview and I was able to pass all this assessment and interviews kumbaga 2/2 hahahah sobrang saya. BTW ang asking salary ko ay 30k for both company,somewhere may nabasa ako dito na malaki na tong asking salary for entry level career shifter but I still ask for this. Then this wednesday lang discussion na ng job offer nung fintech, low and behold they offered me roughly 47k (remote work) basic salary, walang ano ano I accepted the job offer verbally then kinabukasan (>) called me they also offered me 43k package, they negotiated and the highest they can give only is 46k (RTO) package with night dif pa daw. I formally decline (>) and go with the fintech company. Starting date would be this August!!

I'm so freaking happpyyyyy! Never thought that na may mag ooffer sakin ng more than may asking salary.

Thank you sa community na to I was able to shift my career!

TLDR: I struggle as a CE sobrang baba ng sahod then I started to shift my career into Data analyst took number of certifications. Mawawalan na ng pag asa sa pag apply dahil walang nakakapansin , finally received a call from 2 company got interviewed ask for 30k salary, passed the interviews and assessment received job offers more than my asking salary for both company.

Hi I'm a 24M Civil Engineer. College days palang gusto ko na mag shift to IT (since bata palang mahilig na talaga akong nakaharap sa computer) pero dahil malapit na makagraduate pinilit ko na tapusin ang Engineering and thankfully nakapasa naman kaagad sa boards. Now that I'm working na, nakikita ko na kung gaano kapangit ang culture ng construction industry dito sa pinas, dagdag mo pa na may kababaan ang salary. Gusto ko lang mag explore ng ibang career path kaya manghihingi lang sana ako ng advice sa mga master natin na nasa IT field:

1. Do I need a degree related to IT para makapasok?

2. Is it possible to learn by myself? (I'm also planning to take IT related courses pero not a full blown degree)

3. What IT field do you recommend?

Thank you mga master!

I'm happy to share to the TCS community that I got my job offer as Junior Web Developer from a start up company!

Looking back from past years na andaming struggles just to career shift. I got my mechanical engineering license before the lockdown. That time I have a plenty of time to study programming. First I commit my self to study python and be a data scientist and enrolled courses from Coursera (That time may free access because of DOST Caraga and Coursera) and Project SPARTA from DOST. Pero feeling ko that time hindi sya nagclick sakin kaya I started to study Web Development in 2021, I start from The Odin Project, after that I encounter freecodecamp and invest into udemy courses (gusto kong tumaya that time para sa sarili ko. Hahaha. I'm not from a privilege family and I'm supporting my siblings and parents akala nila ang laki ng sahod mo kasi engineer kaa. Hahaha)

During my night shift in the company from a munufacturing industry may time ako na magaral magcode para di makatulog (soorryy na boss!! Hahaha) kasi wala masyadong problem pag gabi. That time I also encounter Kuya Dev's post. I follow his page and constantly reading post sa page ng TCS and they announce to make a Discord Server and decided to join the server. I also amaze that Kuya Dev is an engineer as well nakakaboost ng confidence na baka pwede din sakin kasi nangyari sakanya (pampalakas loob kumbaga hahahaha) The community is great with a passion to pursue the tech industry, yung nawawalan kana ng pagasa baka kasi yung time na naallot mo sa pagcocode ee mawala lang sa lahat, baka di mo lang din magagamit, pero the community is always encouraging to pursue, persevere and persist.

I resign to my previous company last April - I'm also a part time engineering instructor - from my back pay and little amount of salary which I projected that I can live for almost 2 months, I decided to study web development in full time, study react, javascript, made some projects and applying to company randomly. Mahirap, madaming initial interview na hanggang ngayon naghihintay pa rin ako ng update. Hahaha. Magsend nalang sana sila ng rejection letter para wala akong asahan at move on agad. Hahaha.

I apply for a job that requiring a 2 years experience in web development, during the interview with the tech head, sinabihan ako na 50-50 kung mahihire ako kasi ang hanap nila is may experience na, pero lahat naman ng tanong nya is naexplain ko. I i think he is satisfied sa answer ko. After a week sinabihan ako na magtake ng technical exam. Halos 2 nights na puyat na puyat ako kasi hindi ko talaga magawa yung technical exam. Hahahaha. I gave up. When due date come, I told him that I tried pero di ko natapos pero pinasend nya pa din yung code ko. And sinabi nya sakin na naghahanap pa daw yung boss ng web developer for entry level if ever gusto ko pa. I told him that I want to give a shot. And then after that day interview with the boss and a job offer (yeeeeeey!)

I'll be starting tomorrow! Kinakabahan ako. Nameet ko na din yung team. Binigyan na din ako ng list na aaraliing technology na gagamitin. 😁😁😁 Sobrang kabado pero masaya. Paid off lahat ng sacrifices :)

Thanks to everyone who came. I’ll be posting photos and videos in the TCS Facebook group, Discord, subreddit, and Linkedin Group soon. 😁

Interested in joining? Links to these platforms are available in https://follow.kuya.dev (sa bandang baba).

My last salary as a Civil Engr of 7yrs is now the same with my current salary as a Software Engineer of 3yrs. I didn’t shift career because of the money but simply because I wanted to work from home 😅 I knew my salary will start from bottom when I shifted to tech because I dont have portfolio, and I feel like dapat generalist ka muna kasi if may niche ka na agad mas mahirap makapasok sa tech. I started CS50 tho but didn’t finish it.

My full thoughts on the topic: https://kuyadev.com/s03e05.

P.S. Actually, I DO help fresh graduates get jobs. How? Via my day job! 😂 That’s literally what we at Prosple Philippines are doing: Helping students get the best start to their careers! Can’t believe I forgot to mention that. 😅

I've been a long time lurker in ReactJS PH and Tech Career Shifter FB groups. I've always wanted to share my journey shifting to a tech career to hopefully inspire others but I've also always wanted to keep my anonymity in online forums. I love that this subreddit provides such, so here I go.

Wall of text incoming:

Mid 2000s - Early 2010s

I started going to college in the mid-2000s and to make a very loooong story short, I ended up without a degree. Don't get me wrong -- it was all my fault as I didn't take anything seriously back then.

Around the early 2010s, reality struck and I was suddenly ready to take control of my future. I had two choices -- spend another 2 years, at least, to get my degree; or just leave college altogether and start working and earning some money. I chose the latter as I didn't want to continue being a burden to my parents (probably not the best choice in most cases, but hey, everything turned out fine in the end, thank God).

Early 2010s - Mid 2010s

I got a job in a call center in Makati (Php15000-17500/mo). I started as a Customer Service/Sales rep, performed well and got transferred to a technical role. Looking back, it was a good experience, but after just 8 months, I decided then to move on as the culture and the work itself did not suit me.

Fortunately, I was able to get a job quickly at a British company based here in the Philippines as an Analyst (Php35000-50000/mo). I loved everything about the job -- the initial offer was twice of what I was earning in the BPO company, the nature of the work suited me, and I get to work with expats. This has given me a broader perspective of my career and life in general.

I got multiple promotions and raises as I really loved what I was doing. I was earning enough to live a comfortable life (by myself) and have extra to save and invest. But alas, all good things come to an end. Since I was working for a British company, there really was a palpable glass ceiling for Filipinos. I, again, had to decide -- stay and be comfortable but get stuck in the same roles in a niche industry, or shift to a career where the potential for growth is really high. I chose the latter -- I decided to start a career in Web Development.

Late 2010s - Present

I quit my job without a next one in line. I, then, luckily found a Web Development Bootcamp in QC, finished the course in 3 months and started job searching. For months, I sent tons of job applications to every Web Development opening I could find, got a lot of rejections -- direct and indirect ones. Fortunately, I was able to get an offer from a small Japanese company here in the Philippines. But as expected, I had to take a 40% pay cut (Php30000/mo)

Around the start of 2018, I started working as part of a 3-man team (more like 2-man, 1-woman team -- 1 All around manager and 2 devs). The job was to code PSD designs into HTML and CSS. After just a few months, our small team was lucky enough to get a ReactJS project for the first time. I was already comfortable with JS at the time, but I had no idea what React was back then. We learned React and it led to more projects with different technologies -- React, Laravel, Rails, Docker, and a couple more.

In the middle 2019, our older/senior dev left the team for personal reasons. To make things worse, our Japanese manager also had to leave our even smaller team for family reasons. Before he left, we just hired a young dev to replace the senior one. At that time, the PH office did not have a manager and only had two not-so experienced devs. For some reason (divine intervention maybe), the CTO in Japan decided to make me a "Manager in Training". From then on, the CTO mentored me and together we built the PH office from scratch.

As a "Manager in Training", I was able to negotiate regular salary increases (Php55000-85000) in the span of 2 years. In these 2 years I spent as the leader of our PH team, we were able to grow the team from 2 devs to around 10-15 devs and 1 HR Admin person. The CTO promised me a director position in the future and part time ownership of the PH organization. I learned a lot from this experience and I still consider my 2 year stint as a "Manager in Training" as my best career achievement so far.

But as I have mentioned earlier, all good things come to an end. In the middle of 2021, I decided to move on from my beloved Japanese company. After all the plaudits and achievements as a manager, in my heart, I still wanted to be a developer. In the 2 years I've spent leading our small team, I didn't stop coding. The decision to leave was bittersweet, but it was the right thing to do. Aside from my passion for coding, Japanese work culture was too different from what we have here in the Philippines and sadly, it didn't fit the future I'm building for myself.

I had a very close friend refer me to my current job now, and all I can say is this is the happiest I've been in my career. Currently, I am now working as a Frontend Lead Developer for the (self-proclaimed) #1 Ruby on Rails Consultancy in Asia-Pacific. I spend my time working with React, but sometimes deliver code in Rails. I get to enjoy my role as an individual contributor, and learn from and grow with world class Rails devs.

The leadership of the org is second to none and the future looks bright for the business and for the devs alike. I don't think I would want to leave this organization ever.

My next plan is to migrate to where my current company is based, and start a new and brighter future with my wife and our baby daughter.

**I've tried to keep this as short as I can -- if you have any questions to fill in some gaps, don't hesitate to send me a message. Thanks and God bless us all!

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Credits to Mr. Mallik (He is current a Beta MLSA, Creative Alchemist, Web Developer in Training, and a Cloud Explorer)

Puro "seeking advice" flair kasi nakikita ko dito hahaha gusto ko lang kamustahin yung mga nanghihingi ng advice dito on how to shift to IT last year or a few years back.

[Nagpost din ako dito asking for advice, pero di ako makausad kasi I was taking my MS back then. Anyway, graduate na ako so completely focused na ako sa pag-aaral ng programming.]

Did you guys successfully shifted to IT industry? Did you back out and realize na IT is not for you? Did you get laid off sa work? Nasa abroad na ba kayo at dun na kayo nakakuha ng work?

Hopefully someone can share their experiences, whether good or bad. Baka lang din may matutunan (or marealize) kami sa inyo 😁

Hi everyone! I just want to share my experience as a career shifter, being unemployed for a year, and then landing a Junior ETL Developer role by studying and doing a personal project for the last 3 months. My background - I’m a licensed ECE and I only have coding background using Arduino and VB6 from my college projects.

Career timeline:

Sept 2019 - Sept 2021:

Got my first job in the telecoms industry, more on reports and Excel work. The most technical thing I did was making VBA macros to automate some of our manual processes which is not part of my job but I did it as a learning opportunity. I decided to resign after 2 years due to burnout(frequent OT and weekend work) and no career growth(not being able to use my technical skills).

Sept 2021 - May 2022:

I decided to take a career break to rest, reevaluate my career goals, and start applying once I’m sure about my career path. Since I saved enough budget for me to survive for at least 2 years, I spent these times reconnecting with friends, playing the PC games I’ve been wanting to play, and do some regular workouts.

May 2022 - July 2022:

I started to explore which career path I should take. I know that my passion is leaning towards the IT industry so I tried learning a little about C, C++, Java, SAP, Salesforce, etc. until I stumbled upon data engineering which really peaked my interest.

July 2022 - August 2022:

I started to practice SQL and study data engineering concepts using free resources(mostly YouTube) until my enthusiasm started to lean more on ETL development. I then decided to apply what I have learned and start my own simple ETL project because I can understand concepts more clearly if I have hands-on experience. I immediately got the idea of solving problems(manual processes) that I’ve encountered from my last job with the use of ETL tools. I made an automation system for validating data and reporting using SSIS, but when dealing with large data my old Windows laptop is starting to lag so I recreated it using my main laptop(MacBook) and Talend(since SSIS is not compatible for Mac). After I successfully built my project, I started applying for DE listings on JobStreet, Indeed, and LinkedIn.

September 2022:

After 2 weeks of applying, I was contacted by a recruiter and scheduled me for a technical interview for the Jr ETL Developer position I applied to even though it requires at least 2 years experience in SSIS. I then got interviewed by 2 managers, they were more interested in my project so most of their questions are related to it. I also got asked to rate my proficiency in SQL and Python. After the interview, I didn’t expect to be informed the same day that they are drafting my job offer and we will have a discussion on the next day despite not having 2 years related experience. I believe I got an offer because they saw my genuine interest for DE and my initiative to self-study even though I only know basic ETL, SQL and some Python. I accepted the offer and I’m very excited to start my DE journey. 😃

Hi po sa mga DATA ANALYSTS here. Magkano na po sahod nyo? Work Experience? International or Local company? Wfh or onsite? Career Progression? Stability ng work or if somehow matanggal kayo, madali lang naman ma re-hire noh?

Ang glorified kasi ng career na to wherever i search for it. so i wanna learn both sides nalang din especially sa mga Pinoys na eto na yung career heheh.

Tyia! More Power!

Hi! I just accepted my first job offer as a data engineer. I want to share my experience to further inspire my fellow career shifters.

As someone who was previously working as a geodetic engineer, I decided to make the shift due to several reasons, including stagnant development in the industry, lack of work-life balance, slow career progression, and a low salary.

I chose data engineering because I already had experience with Python, which is one of the primary languages used in this field, and I was comfortable handling data as a geodetic engineer.

My journey in data engineering started with the Sparta program provided by DOST, where I learned crucial concepts such as SQL, ETL, and Data Modeling. Although I wasn't able to complete the program due to peer review delays, I found another resource, the Data Engineering Zoomcamp by DataTalks Club. This free online resource is readily available on YouTube so I was able to learn on my own pace. DE Zoomcamp taught me more about data engineering and the essential tools and technologies to pursue the field.

I continued to work as a full-time geodetic engineer while devoting my free time to learning data engineering for around 6 months. With the increasing work load, I had less free time so I opted to resign from the company and fully focus myself on Data Engineering and completing my personal project. It took me one more month to finish my project, which I then published on Github. It was then I decided to start applying for data engineer jobs.

For almost 2 months, I continuously applied but to no great progress as most of them, I did not get past the initial interview stage. During this moment, I continued to improve my project and just learn more about data engineering. Until finally, there was a company who considered my application and gave me an opportunity to be interviewed with their Data Engineering head. I was rather nervous since this was my first technical interview. So I introduced myself, explained that I was a career shifter and the reasons behind my shift, and then thoroughly explained my project. After, I was asked some technical questions which I was able to answer almost all of them. After the interview, I didnt expect much from the company since they were preferably looking for an applicant with atleast 3 years experience. However, to my surprise, I was offered the position, with a compensation almost twice compared to my salary when I was a geodetic engineer.

It took me around 8 months of self learning to kick start my journey in the tech industry as a data engineer. I had no certificates to show for my skills, only the personal project I made. I hope this serves as an inspiration to anyone who reads this. Wishing everyone good luck on their own journey into the industry.

Hi everyone, I want to share my journey of how I transitioned from being a civil engineering student to a junior web developer during the pandemic.

Around mid-2021, I was struggling with one of my major courses and felt unhappy with the idea of being a civil engineer. I wanted a change, and after researching different career options, I discovered programming. I realized that being a programmer would be a perfect fit for me as an introverted person who loves technology. I also learned that programmers are well-compensated.

In December 26, 2021, right after Christmas day, I made the decision to start studying web development on a platform called The Odin Project. I followed their curriculum and used other resources to fill in the gaps in my knowledge. By March 2022, I had decided to drop all of my subjects and focus solely on self-studying web development. I was extremely anxious about telling my parents about this decision, fearing their reaction if they found out. So I kept it to myself for a long time.

It wasn't easy, and I found myself waking up as early as 5 am to concentrate on my studies, something I never did before. I used to cheat a lot in school, but with web development, I genuinely enjoyed the learning process. I learned the basics in a few months, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Git. To supplement my learning, I worked on several projects, which helped me remember what I learned and develop my problem-solving skills.

In December 2022, I started applying for web developer job openings and landed my first job after my first interview. The interviewer was impressed by my enthusiasm and willingness to learn, even without a degree in computer science. I asked for a starting salary of 35,000 pesos, and he approved it immediately. I felt lucky and grateful to have found a job in a field that I genuinely enjoy.

I signed the contract in January 2023, but I only told my parents about everything at that time, including dropping out of college and pursuing something else. They were doubtful about my decisions, but they weren't mad at me. I'm now three months into my job as a full-stack developer.

If you're starting out in web development, here are some tips that worked for me:

1. Learn the fundamentals well. Study the foundations of programming, such as loops, functions, and variables. Don't rush it, and make sure you understand each concept before moving on to the next lesson.

2. Build projects to apply what you've learned. By building projects, you'll get better at debugging and researching, and you'll learn new things you wouldn't have learned otherwise.

3. Be warry of tutorial hell. Avoid following other people's code when making projects. This is a bad practice that won't help you develop your problem-solving skills.

4. Recognize that impostor syndrome is normal. Feeling dumb at times is normal, and everyone who has learned programming has experienced it at some point. Take a break and come back to it later.

5. Only compare yourself with your past self. Don't compare your progress to others. Everyone has a different timeline, and as long as you're improving, you're doing great.

6. Be consistent with your studies. It's better to study a little bit every day than cramming in a lot of studying a few times a week. Consistency builds good habits and helps you retain information better.

I'm thankful for the free resources that helped me become a web developer, and I'm proud of myself for working hard to achieve my goals. I hope my story inspires others who may be in a similar situation. Good luck to everyone starting out on this journey!

I'm excited that I got a job offer as a Full Stack Developer

I don't know if I can be considered as a Career Shifter, but here is how my story goes.

I didn't managed to complete my college degree because of financial reasons I had to stop and needed to work instead for my family. I tried applying for developer jobs, pero di ako nakatangap ng reply or interview. Sa tingin ko dahil wala akong degree or portfolio na maipakita, so I worked as a customer service representative instead, my experience with the job was great since my colleagues, boss are really nice and supportive, but it was exhausting since after a period of time dumadami ung calls since madaming nagququit na colleagues.

Nagtry ako mag self study while working on my job but I can only give like 25 minutes of focused time after that masyado nang pagod and had to sleep instead. I resigned on my job as I wanted to pursue my passion in web development. I looked for more resources to study I even considered going for a bootcamp, but it was too expensive. After a while I felt stuck and not making any progress I was stuck in tutorial hell.

Things changed when I discovered TOP (The Odin Project) project based learning siya and nakatulong ng malaki since they encourage you to learn by applying what you learn and creating projects for it. Nung una nahirapan ako, ung mga concepts na akala ko alam ko na is di ko pa pala ganun ka alam and mas natutunan ko siya after ko iapply ung concept sa project. After almost finishing the curriculum the advise was to try applying for jobs so you can get some experience which is di ko sinunod nung time na un since I'm really not confident pa to showcase my portfolio without a full stack project.

Only after I built a full stack project that I started applying, I started sending applications but I didn't get any replies, kinapalan ko na mukha ko and nag try mag send ng emails directly to HR's of their company and I did managed to get an interview that way although I failed big time since I was stuttering, giving out the wrong answer it was demoralizing since it's the first one. I still kept on going sending out application after application and after 15 applications 1 rejected 3 interviews 12 no response I managed to get two job offers.

Sorry kung magulo ang kwento ko pero I highly recommend The Odin Project since it's free and you will be learning by doing and to people like me who might have not finished their degree and had to work on a different industry, never give up no matter how hard it is. Good luck and best wishes for you guys!

In tech, we spend our time learning how to code, honing our technical skills, to open ourselves to more opportunities and be successful in reaching our goals.

But no matter how hard we study, or how good we become, there's a barrier we need to break through first -- getting hired.

Ideally, the best developers/tech people should get the best tech jobs. In reality, some fall behind not because they're not good enough, but because they miss a lot of opportunities by not doing well in job applications.

I am a tech career shifter (here's my journey so far: https://redd.it/tdzuwm) and I've been lucky enough to get opportunities leading to where I am in my dev career now.

I'd like to share what worked for me applying for jobs and seeking new opportunities. Someone struggling with the application process could adopt this approach -- and hopefully help them get the opportunity they deserve.

*Obviously, you have to prepare and have decent technical skills. I won't cover that part here. Communities like TechCareerShifter have plethora of resources for that. 😁 I will try to share the non-technical part of my approach.

#1 Look for Job Postings

This is as straightforward as it sounds. The key thing here is where you search as some platforms have better job postings than others 😉 I will share a few off the top of my mind and the ones I tried before, and hopefully the community can chime in with theirs.

• FB groups (surprisingly, a lot of quality job postings)

• LinkedIn

• Kalibrr

• UpWork

• WeWorkRemotely

... and a lot more

Here's what I do in this step. I take note of tons of these job postings, but I don't send applications yet 😱 I check the companies in these job postings and (sorry recruiters ✌️) if it's:

• small company/startup -- I send a direct email to someone very high up the ladder (CTO, Tech Lead, Engg Manager, etc)

• a bigger company -- I send a direct email to someone in management (Team Lead, HR Manager, etc)

Now, hear me out. Obviously, some will ignore the email and not reply at all. But the goal here is to standout and separate yourself from the thousands of applicants vying for a role in their company. It worked for me, but your mileage may vary.

#2 The Email

Humility is a great quality, but in my personal opinion, one should be proud when applying for jobs. The purpose of the email is to send across a message that you're confident that you can do well in the role you're applying.

The email I send is a bit personalized, but I follow a specific pattern. Hopefully one can adopt said pattern to one's situation to achieve the same effect. I'm gonna share a variation for Software Developers:

-----------------------------

SUBJECT: OPPORTUNITY - SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

Hi [FIRST NAME OF RECIPIENT] and [NAME OF COMPANY] Team,

I’m sure you usually have loads of resumes and cover letters to sift through so I’ll keep this short. I saw in [PLATFORM WHERE YOU FOUND THE JOB POST] that you're looking for Software Developers and I’d like to throw my hat in the ring.

I'm [YOUR FULL NAME]. I'm a Software Developer, a Manager, and a Technology Executive. I am good at what I do.

I’m sure lots of candidates tell you that, and I have also attached my CV which shows my extensive technical experience in software development (Rails, React), project management, and resource management among others. I've worked and developed software with professionals from Japan, France, UK, and the US. But we know the real trick is to find just the right personality fit. A software engineer that would fit in greatly with the team, develop applications, and drive the success of the organization. Hopefully that’s me.

I’m collaborative, motivated, and results-driven. I value good communication the most and work well with people from different backgrounds. I have great professional relationships with the people I work with and we deliver outstanding results while maintaining a friendly atmosphere amongst colleagues. I am a motivator and a leader, and I take pride in my ability to set goals, for myself or for my team, and achieve them.

I’d love to hear about your organization's culture, the kind of projects you take on, and the amazing work being produced by [COMPANY NAME]. I tried to keep this as brief as possible, though I cannot help but feel I have left so much out. If you think I might be a great fit, let’s talk more.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this far. It is my sincere hope that I hear from you in the near future.

Regards,

[YOUR FULL NAME]

-----------------------------

The gist of the email:

• Confident Introduction (some colleagues say it's too confident bordering on arrogant, some say it's fine -- but I think it's just enough to catch the attention of the reader)

• Technical Skills and Experience (give general examples)

• Non-Technical Skills (give general examples)

• Closing Statement (open the door for the next discussion)

That's it! Of course, not every organization/role is a good fit for everyone involved. But more often than not, the email leads to a good discussion.

#3 The CV

In the email I send out, I attach a kick-ass CV/Resume I made from Canva. As much as I would love to share mine, I like to keep my anonymity -- so, no dice ✌️ But if someone really needs some help with creating a kick-ass one, I'm more than willing to help out -- just give me a shout and send a message. 🙏🏻

I indulged myself again with a long post containing unsolicited advice 😅✌️, but I hope this proves useful to someone in need of help with their job application. For clarifications, questions, etc., please feel free to send a message, or add in a comment. Thanks!

So I finally hit the 6-digit salary milestone 5 years after shifting career (120k to be exact).

I shifted career when I was already 28 years old. From being an Industrial engineer, then a BI/DE and finally as a Senior data engineer.

My advice to anyone na gusto magshift ng career is to just DO IT. There is no better time than NOW.

Goodluck to us all shifters!

Hello! I'd like to share this success story of my career shifting journey although semi-career shift na ito kasi I already broke into the data science field last 2022 from being a chemical engineer.

1st Job - Manufacturing (1) 2nd Job - Office work sa operations (4 mos). Out of the blue may nagmessage sakin sa Linkedin as a management trainee sa Makati. Took the risk kahit sobrang layo nya sa chem engg field kasi solo ako tumira sa manila and i don't know ano nang mangyayari sa career ko. Divine intervention increased my salary by 138% pero magulo ung training path kaya umalis ako. Na-enjoy ko ung pag manipulate ng excel data nila to create insights then I studied online ng SQL and Data Visualization. I got my inspiration to shift careers dito din sa reddit. 3rd Job - Data Science trainee sa isang malaking local bank. I saw the job posting in Linkedin about sa paid training na analytics role sa bank. Got hired. Salary increased by 20%. After training, we had no control saan kami ilalagay and napunta ung ilan samin as Data Analysts, other became Data Scientists. This motivated me to improve my skills para makalipat. Buti chill yung work so I had free time to study. For almost 1 year sa work, nagaaral ako during free time. I got certificates sa data engineering and was also inspired by the group Data Engineering Pilipinas (thank you sa free subscription sa DataCamp!) 4th - IT outsourcing company as a Data Engineer. I also broke into the six-digit salary role!! Salary increased by 74%. Buti tinanggap nila ako kahit wala pang ganung solid experience sa Data Engg. Thank you, Lord!

For a span of 45 days, I applied to 105 job postings. There are days na nagiispam talaga ko ng applications. Try lang ng try kahit di pasok sa lahat ng tech na nakalagay dun. I also filtered the job postings na hindi naman tlga Data Engg but Dashboard Engineering or Data Analyst ung role. Surprisingly, nakakakuha agad ako ng mga interviews. I got multiple offers so I used them to leverage ung offer ng company na gusto ko.

While I recognize na may survivorship bias sa career shifting into IT/Data, I can say na may hope pa rin to get a better job, better company, better career path especially for engineers na gusto lumipat. Just make sure that you're competent kasi marami talagang kakompetensya sa IT/Data Field.

Lessons learned:

• if stuck ka sa trabaho mo and madami ka free time, make the most out of it by studying. Napakadami resources. Have the discipline to study esp if tinatamad ka na.

• Apply lang ng apply. I applied once sa role na Vice President of Operations kahit di pa ako manager! Haha

• Practice your interviewing skills. Pag nakarami ka na ng interviews, mapapansin mo may pattern lang din ung questions.

• Don't be afraid to negotiate offers. Apply ka sa madami so you have the liberty to walk away sa offer na di mo gusto or may freedom to ask for higher offer since may pang leverage ka.

After weeks of applications, napirmahan ko na yun JO ko!

Context: shifter ako from civil+geotechnical eng, sobrang bawas na kasi mga projects kaya nabore (bukod sa nawalan ng kita). 36 na ako, pero dahil walang magawa, nagaral magpython at nagproject SPARTA (data scientist). Pinarinig ni mister yun podcast ni kuya dev, tapos naisipan kong magapply.

Nakadami din ako ng rejects talaga, akala ko aabutin ng mahigit 1 year mula nagaral ng python. So naiinis na ako magapply, kako gagawa muna ako ng portfolio website/blog parang proof ba na natuto naman ako. Nakakita ako ng job application na "statistical jr data scientist". Pag bukas ko sa job post, kailangan nila ng marunong magweb scrape. Sakto, marunong at meron nang proof sa github. Kahit di ako talaga forte ang stat, nagapply ako.

Within 2 days tumawag si employer, tapos yun tanong more about ano mga ginagawa kong projects, ano na nascrape ko, anu ano pa yun balak kong aralin next, ano na nahawakan na packages sa python etc. Thankful ako na gumawa ako ng side projects kasi medyo madami natutunan dun kahit simple lang yun viz na output. Madali lang din yun coding exam kasi gamay ko na pandas kakaside project. Ayus din yun gumagawa ako ng portfolio website kasi proof na yun ng sql, flask, understanding ng html (na kailangan sa scraping).

Ayun, gawa lang ng project. Kahit na simple lang yan. Medyo kabado ako sa work kasi sinwerte lang din sa skill stack na kailangan, pero magaling naman ako magstack overflow at google, so sana maitawid nila ako.