Alumni Check-In: DeeAnn Kendrick

DeeAnn Kendrick started out as a hairdresser, but she always had her eyes open to other career paths that she could dive into for the long-term. Her brother and uncle both worked in technology, so she started to think about that as an option. She re-enrolled in college, but found herself more drawn to web development:

"Patience being not one of my strongest attributes, I began learning web development online on the side and was hooked. Each day I wanted to do more web development and less history, who could've imagined? Looking for a more in person learning environment I came across DigitalCrafts and the rest is history."

DeeAnn graduated from the Full Stack Immersive program in Atlanta in August 2016 and worked as a Developer-in-Residence at DigitalCrafts for three months after that. In December, she began working at her current job: Associate Developer at No longer active link text (URL no longer active as of 10/2022). We asked her a few questions about her day-to-day.

Where are you working and describe your company environment briefly?

"We are a startup working out of Alkaloid Networks, a co-working space right off the BeltLine! We are a small team, which means lots of different hat wearing and collaboration. We make sure to balance out the work with a lot of laughs and the occasional walking meeting on the BeltLine."

DeeAnn with her dev team at BlastApp

At your current company, are you working on the types of projects you imagined before code school?

"I would say the projects I have been working on have been very different than what I first imagined. I originally didn't think I would enjoy backend development as much as I have grown to. I also never expected to touch as much of the codebase from top to bottom as I have."

What is your favorite aspect of your new job/company?

"It is hard to narrow it down to a favorite. So just a quick few: Flexibility. I am able to work remotely when I need to. I live outside of Atlanta so not having to mentally prepare for a commute every day, AMAZING. Mentorship. Our team holds a strong value on the impact of mentorship and I have been very thankful for all of the knowledge and growth I have been able to experience in the last year. Collaboration. When it comes to new features or updates to our product we all take ownership in the conversation and discussion.

Looking back, do you think you made the right decision for your career?

"Totally made the right decision for myself. I'm not going to say that it was easy and that I didn't have moments of questioning things, but I have seen myself grow and develop personally and for me that is a WIN."

If you could give two pieces of advice to someone considering development as a career, what would it be?

"There are tons of beginner online resources and meetups out there. Give it try and get an idea what development is like. When you're ready, jump in with both feet and give it 100%. If you think making that transition is too far-fetched, remember I came from a very different background than most and here I am. Lastly, embrace failure. Developers deal with a lot of highs and lows. Failure gives us an opportunity to learn and grow. It is a sign that we tried and you can't succeed in something if you don't at least try. Best of luck!"

Interested in how you can jump-start your career as a new developer? Download our course packet for more information about our Full Stack programs!