In January 2024, my coding journey took an exciting turn when I won the SheCodes Foundation Scholarship. This opportunity didn’t just provide financial support—it opened doors to a world of learning that accelerated my transition into front-end development. In this post, I’ll share how I discovered the scholarship, the application process, and how it has impacted my growth as a developer.
Discovering the SheCodes Foundation Scholarship
After being retrenched in the lead-up to my wedding, I was at a crossroads in my career. Determined to make a change, I started learning to code with free resources like freeCodeCamp. However, I soon realized that I needed more structured guidance to further develop my skills. That’s when I came across the SheCodes Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping women break into tech by offering scholarships for coding bootcamps to women in developing countries.
As I read more about their mission, I knew this was the perfect opportunity for me. The scholarship would give me access to their workshops, covering essential skills in front-end development, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more advanced topics like React.
For more about my early days in coding, check out my post Getting Started with freeCodeCamp: My Learning Experience.
The Application Process
The SheCodes Foundation application process was straightforward yet competitive. I submitted an application explaining my situation—being recently retrenched, balancing full-time work, and my aspirations to become a front-end developer.
A few weeks later, I received the email I had been hoping for: I was awarded the SheCodes Foundation Scholarship! This moment felt like a breakthrough, as it provided not only the financial support I needed but also the opportunity to learn from experts in the industry.
What the Scholarship Covers
The SheCodes Foundation Scholarship granted me full access to SheCodes workshops. These workshops included:
- Introduction to Coding: The basics of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which provided a solid foundation.
- SheCodes Plus: A more in-depth look at JavaScript and hands-on projects, like building a landing page.
- SheCodes React: Learning the ins and outs of React, which aligned perfectly with my passion for creating engaging user interfaces.
I’ll be diving deeper into each of these courses and certifications in upcoming blog posts to provide more detailed insights into what I learned and how you can get the most out of SheCodes.
These courses were structured with a blend of video tutorials, challenges, and final projects that helped reinforce what I had learned. Having lifetime access to the workshops also means I can revisit the material whenever I need a refresher, which has been incredibly helpful in maintaining consistency while balancing my full-time job.
How It Supported My Coding Journey
Winning the SheCodes Foundation Scholarship was a game changer. Not only did it provide me with high-quality educational resources, but it also gave me the confidence to keep pushing forward. I learned to build projects that I could add to my portfolio, and I gained a deeper understanding of JavaScript and React. Balancing my coding studies with a demanding full-time job was challenging, but the structure of SheCodes’ workshops made it easier to stay consistent. With clear deadlines and supportive instruction from Matt Delac, I was able to complete each module while managing my work schedule. If you’re struggling with managing a busy schedule, check out my post How I Balance Full-Time Work and studying Coding.
