Interview with Microsoft Software Engineer With No CS Degree & No Bootcamp

Welcome Back! In this video, I chat with a Microsoft Software Engineer With No CS Degree & No Bootcamp. I hope you enjoy it!
Jhilene Contact
► KZbin: / @colorfulcodes
► Blog: colorfulcodesblog.wordpress.com/
► Twitter: / colorfulcodes
► Instagram: / colorfulcodes
RESOURCES
► Sparkbox: apprentices.seesparkbox.com/
► Microsoft: www.microsoft.com/en-us/leap/
► LinkedIn: / reach
LET'S BE FRIENDS (IG)
/ bukola.dev
► Desk Equipment
kit.co/TheComeUp/desk-equipment
► Filming Equipment
kit.co/TheComeUp/filming-gear
► Programming Video
kit.co/TheComeUp/programming-...
BUSINESS INQUIRIES
[e-mail]
📒Timestamps📒
0:00 - Intro
1:00 - Start of Interview
2:00 - College Experience
4:00 - After College (Recurse Center)
7:53 - After Recurse Center (Interview Prep for 1.5 years)
10:22 - Sparkbox Apprenticeship
12:35 - Major Setback (chronic illness)
15:30 - Dealing with Unemployment (handing out resume in Grand Central )
18:29 - A Breakthrough: Getting into Microsoft LEAP (tips and salary)
22:39 - Details About Microsoft LEAP
26:31 - What She’s working on at Microsoft
28:00 - Lessons Learned
35:00 - Self Taught Roadmap

[@colorfulcodes]

Thank you so much for interviewing me Bukola! I had a good time.

[@samuelosagie-aruya923]

I really admire you. You and your friend are so smart and beautiful. How I wish I could have the coding capacity you have.

[@MayaBello]

such a boss ❤️

[@Bukola1]

Thanks for coming on!! I had a good time too!

[@jaffekromah6240]

Love this interview and I just subscribe to your channel. I love seeing women win.

[@shanselman]

Epic

[@norahughes4993]

I’m OBSESSED with the fact that she handed out her resume in grand central

[@Bukola1]

The Hustle! She really fought for it!

[@karmendurbin]

She put in a lot of work. This is a no joke career jump.

[@_yasam4n_]

Awesome! Would you mind in your future videos talk about how to build strong projects for those who have no CS degree/noBootcamp !

[@thebluechimera]

Does anyone else think this would make an awesome movie

[@Bukola1]

lol I would watch it!

[@pacomazerati]

This is awesome! i love this content! any chance you could interview a recruiter? or an HR person? id love to see what they have to say on the other side you know?

[@colorfulcodes]

This would be good!

[@JamConcerned]

Maybe a team leader or someone who makes the decision on who to interview. HR just passes on the resume to who needs to make the decisions based on what the team needs. Recruiter would be great since they wouldn't know which companies are looking what they need in the market place.

[@TirsaTalks]

good one!

[@lindao.ezenwammadu7056]

Yessss

[@serenity6831]

Yaaas black women in tech! Y'all are what I aspire to be by the end of this year!

[@tshoneycocoa]

Same!!

[@DeedeeEats]

Me as well!

[@Relanii]

Same!!

[@meg-d3024]

Same. I would like an update. It’s been a year since your comments, have any of you begun your software engineering story.

[@fruiteapai1398]

Same! How is your journey so far?

[@yapdog]

This video, that it even exists, made my day. I'm an old timer; been programming for ~30 years in the CG industry. I'm also Black. It was a lonely island, always being the only Black person in the room for decades. One year when I was doing a show at SIGGRAPH, a white woman walked up to me and said: _"Wow, you don't see many bruthas doin' this."_ I was like, wut? That was about as close as I'd gotten to seeing a Black woman in this space... and it wasn't close at all. If only I'd been born 25 years later............. Anyway, thanx, y'all :^)

[@troyh8461]

Are you seeing any changes in your industry? Is this CG in the film industry btw?

[@yapdog]

@@troyh8461 Nope. I don't see any other Blacks on the development side of CG. I'm sure others do exist, but I have only met and worked with one Black guy... and he barely acknowledged that he's Black (he's of mixed race). I've know of some men on the user/artist side of CG, but not very many. I have no idea why Blacks, especially women/girls, have no interest in CG dev or otherwise :^(

[@keicyc4669]

@@yapdog gender roles? Kids are told/influenced by people and society that certain things are only for one gender or the other, this limitates what you're exposed to early on and what some are comfortable approaching later, as I see it.

[@yapdog]

@@keicyc4669 You ain't wrong. But it was even hard for me to broach the subject many years ago with a white woman who happened to be a CG artist. I guess she took offense to the idea and shut me down quick, possibly thinking I was "outing" her in male spaces and/or that I was being condescending. No doubt she'd be open to that discussion today. I'd much rather have it with a sista, tho, to address the problem. In fact, I'm working on large CG/programming project where I'm going to be seeking (down-low as not to offend my base) Black women and men to join; as it stands now, I only know of 2 Black men and ZERO Black women in this space but hundreds of white men which will lead to thousands of them.

[@aceflamez00]

I got into computers when I was 8 in 2008 with the PSP hacking scene, been coding for 7 years before undergrad, but yeah there's not a lot of blacks in the field and in upper level uni classes it becomes a white wash. i'm still struggling to get an internship regardless of my github history and personal website contributions. I'm starting to get spooked.

[@allthehui]

Love hearing about LEAP stories! I always knew about the program while I worked at Microsoft, but it's really awesome meeting someone who went through it. YOU ARE SO COOL, JHILENE. So happy for you.

[@colorfulcodes]

Thank you so much! Leap is amazing!

[@ByMeMonique]

Thank you to you both! Just the inspo needed to keep learning.

[@erawriter1651]

You are an amazing resource. Im in my senior year of Software Engineering. So happy to see professionals like you here to guide us. Keep up the amazing work Goddess!

[@Bukola1]

Thank you!

[@d.vision92]

I loved this so much! I'm working towards my MS in Software Design and Development. Just earlier today I was feeling doubtful and frustrated about changing careers, but this video was right on time. I feel re-energized and excited! Thank you for the great videos! :)

[@saibellekhaibah333]

Thank you ladies, This was so awesome and inspiring.

[@lahadisrael3516]

Love to see my people winning! Keep it up sistas! I’m making that transition into software development. Coming from a technical support background.

[@AndrewHitti]

Great job Jhilene!!!! 👏🏼👏🏼 You really pulled out ALL the stops to get to where you wanted to be. So cool that hacking and security was what got you into tech!!!

[@phickman7872]

Awesome interview! I love hearing other's stories.

[@zottun1673]

Thank you so much for this video! I am at a crossover point in my life where I need to hear this! 💛

[@marinabuganova8780]

Wow, Jhilene’s story is so inspiring! I’m going to continue my learning code routine right after the video. Thanks a lot for the interview, insightful and encouraging:)

[@everyonedeservestogohome2949]

I love this! My cousin also was self taught and now works at Microsoft.

[@user-rv3ef8ji5y]

Her story is so dope and her path to learning is so awesome.

[@24ok1]

Hard work and persistence really does bring opportunities. Really gives me the pursuit of happiness vibes man.

[@NA-sx7cj]

Learned sooooooooo much from this! Thank you so much!

[@ShadDenzel]

This was a very insightful and wonderful conversation. Thank you two so much for sharing and putting this out there.

[@artistflife12]

I absolutely LOVED this video and hope that you do more like it! She's a genuine inspiration. I'm also breaking into tech (although I went into cloud engineering haha) after recently graduating. She's right. Persistence is key and I just genuinely could not see myself in any other career. I'm now doing a cloud engineering internship and I'm so excited about it 😁

[@divyaramaswamy6990]

this is so inspiring and i respect jhilene SO much. it's so awesome hearing a nontraditional story and relatable struggles in the sea of "i got my dream job in 3 months" videos. i love that throughout her journey her belief in herself was so strong (applying to microsoft 5x?? go off!!!) and so nurturing (taking off time for her illness!). can't wait to see what else she accomplishes xx

[@torrieduhhh6403]

Thank both of you so much! I definitely relate to Jhilene's story especially health wise. This was very inspirational for me.

[@mavutivepersonalfinancelif5326]

Very inspiring interview. Hope you do this more often.

[@IamAhShah]

Thank you both. Great story. It's possible!!

[@noli2761]

I cant wait to watch this video-- but first i gotta study. You inspired me to start this journey a month ago and I've been rocking and rolling (and crying)my way through since XD

[@djetton1]

This is an Avengers Level collab.

[@ryanbaffield5984]

Great interview! God bless you both.

[@LawrenceDCodes.]

I so love *all* of this. Great job!

[@kasambalumwagi]

Bukola thanks for the tips. I've been watching your videos for the past year and I can say that you are doing a good job.

[@chinazaekpere9802]

This was very insightful, thank you!!!

[@wanluv]

Love to see more ladies and bw getting in development. We are needed lol. I'm a Cybersecurity Analyst and like your interviewee, I have the same passion, and learning on the job using automation and threat hunting. But I'm also going to pickup AI and deep learning too starting courses in Jan. 2021. I know some blockchain as well as I think these specific learning fields will be at the top in the coming years.

[@lindadelalifiasam5878]

Hey there Bukola just know you inspire me to keep my head high in the world of tech. U really do inspire me thanks again.

[@lowwastehighmelanin]

This is amazing! I love hearing from other people's experiences

[@Bukola1]

Yay, glad you enjoyed this video!

[@chasethecoder6570]

Still interviewing and working full time. Hearing your story was so helpful! It is a struggle getting your first dev job...

[@fonz112goss4]

You guys are very talented and lovely. I like that you both of you are natural and don't wear a lot of makeup and are all about getting your grind in. Keep up the good work and enjoy life to!! I watch the TechLead and find you IT people very interesting but don't like that you can get depressed doing your projects from time to time. I just enjoy watching your shows I'm older and find your field a blessing to my life. Thank you guys and wishing you nothing but the world of success and happiness. KNOW you guys play a role in my life in some form!!!!

[@aashnak9584]

So cool that you guys know each other in real life! Favorite KZbinrs ❤️

[@RaheemBaleMusic]

This is an amazing video. This has just given me so much motivation.

[@vulpixelful]

This was a really great interview! I'm glad she got on a great team doing interesting work 🎉👏🏾 And she's so right about the patience needed in learning the craft.

[@JakeIbeeMassa]

So happy things turned out well for you. I remember watching your videos 2 years ago. Your perseverance paid off!! Wish you an exciting journey.

[@colorfulcodes]

Thank you ❤

[@karthikaarunkumar9074]

Thanks for interviewing her. Jhilene shared her experiences in an open and a wholesome way.

[@Bukola1]

No problem! It was really fun chatting with her!

[@goodsamwise]

Thank you, this is so helpful to hear a very realistic journey into this path.

[@jlm_001]

I loved this interview! Fantastic persistence and it shows that it really does pay off in the end! Congratulations on making it into Microsoft. It also sounds like your first role was amazing for getting you into the industry and that’s fantastic to hear - I wish more businesses were as good as getting people into the industry who are self taught! Good luck in the future if you do decide to go down the cyber security route in the end...

[@colorfulcodes]

Thank you! I actually plan to start studying Cyber Security again after my first year as a developer. It's a little too overwhelming at the moment but it's one of my main goals.

[@jlm_001]

@@colorfulcodes it does sound like you have an awful lot on at the moment - but the best of luck with it when you do make the transition - you’ll boss it - I’m sure 💪🏻

[@LupeMaydana1]

Your story is so powerful and makes me realize that if you set a goal, it can be hard but don't give up easily!!!

[@fareehaxoxo8568]

Why are they so polite and soothing 🥺

[@atypicaladult8720]

💖BLK IN TECH

[@zeemthedream]

Woke up this morning and watched this entire video from start to finish! Amazing to hear about how persistent she was throughout her journey. Keep up the great content 🙌🏿💯

[@kevagreen312]

I’m doing a boot camp right now ....I may have to stand out and hand those resumes out girl #protip

[@iliasmith2803]

So am I Keva! If you have a linkedIn I would love to send you an invite!

[@lilethm.alvarez7330]

Hi, which boot camp? Do you have any recommendations? I’m looking into this.

[@diadsalies]

@@lilethm.alvarez7330 I just graduated from app Academy, and I would give it my full recommendation. It's a 6-to-9-month fulltime commitment for their online course, so it's a big decision to make, but I will say they've always displayed great respect and care for the students in my experience. Also to consider, the job search after could take months as well, and part-time jobs aren't allowed until you land a proper software engineering job (they treat the job search as a full-time commitment). Just be sure to actually put in the work. While the weekly tests aren't exactly easy for someone totally new to coding to pass, there were still a small handful of graduates from my class whose final work was clearly lacking in effort or skill, and they reflected their contributions/reputation from when they worked in group projects as well. Don't just optimize studying for passing the tests, and if you feel overwhelmed, being 'deferred' (failing a test or requesting explicitly to be push back to the next cohort to redo the previous month's lessons) is NOT a bad thing. It's most important to learn the material well so you feel ready by graduation. They provide a lot of job-search support (and pressure) as well after graduation (and in the last month of class with lectures and interview practice etc.), which has been a huge relief for me. Hack Reactor would be the other standout option I've heard of when I was researching bootcamps. Aside from that, I'd be a bit wary since those are the two main camps I've heard come up repeatedly in my research.

[@lilethm.alvarez7330]

@@diadsalies Thank you for taking the time to answer my question! I appreciate it.

[@SouthmeriKan]

Good luck love!

[@TirsaTalks]

I had no idea y’all werent in the same room from the thumbnail, sweet!

[@adwoabiotech]

Sooo good to see! 😍😍😍😍

[@Bukola1]

Right! She has such an inspiring story!

[@elekere]

Inspiring. And that smile... ☺️

[@darswayeeyou]

I am so happy I found your channel.

[@izzyi7218]

This conversation was solid 👌 very inspiring! I'm about to complete my bootcamp journey and kind of losing hope for many reasons. Hearing Jhilene's story really pushes me to not give up - thank you!

[@franchezke2351]

Progress?

[@speedstarlightspeed1]

What a wholesome interview. Really enjoyed it!

[@everythingthatrhymeswithsa3116]

The brains on these women is phenomenal...

[@thehealthycoder4295]

Awesome interview!

[@ajibsbaba]

Great Stuff!

[@user-bt7sh1zq6z]

Ahhh this is awesome and inspiring! I'm graduating with with degrees in Spanish & Economics in the spring and I'm considering getting into tech even though I don't have any experience LOL. I know some R, Stata, and Python but I want to learn more!

[@awilliams7796]

Try SheCodes if you have a little cash!

[@user-bt7sh1zq6z]

@@awilliams7796 I’ll check check them out!! Ty for the suggestion I appreciate it!! ((:

[@allthehui]

Jhilene is a BOSS 🤩

[@LinaMeyer97]

Wow that’s amazing

[@SoftwareJournal]

Great interview. I had a similar journey as well and I also think perseverance is key.

[@innocentmadanhire2391]

how long did it take you to master. i dif pharmaceuticals and iam thinking , i should do a tech course

[@SoftwareJournal]

@@innocentmadanhire2391 I think the biggest thing is learning the fundamentals and start building from there. OOP concepts, databases (relational and non- relational), frontend technologies (web, desktop and phone), APIs (REST and SOAP). The most important part is actually building using these technologies. Mastery comes with competence with implementing, time is relative.

[@shanselman]

Awesome!

[@ReynaldAdolphe]

@Scott is everywhere! LOL

[@mayabee4094]

So inspiring!

[@andremoseley2362]

FDM Group alumni here. I also have an associates degree in Computer Engineering Tech. FDM Group helped me land a full time job as a Software QA at a bank in Toronto. The pay is low while with them but that "foot in the door" is really what I think most people need. Now I am in a bootcamp to switch to a Software Engineering role. I still regret never doing a CS degree but I feel I like the debt free way in the long run for sure. Loved this conversation. In a way I wish I took the cheaper route and did self learning though. I do admire your ambition and hard work to get where you are! Congratulations Jhilene!

[@colorfulcodes]

See. I think it's a good option. I have a friend at Microsoft who did FDM after getting a degree in ART. They ended up at the NY stock exchange with FDM doing technical support. It's not the best option but it's something. Thank you!

[@mavisb5107]

Wowww this is so cool and inspiring. Her Determination and persistence is one to emulate. Unfortunately such opportunities are possible in the US only. Over here in Germany where I live if you don’t have a CS degree don’t even bother applying . smh. Hopefully I relocate soon to the US where one can explore their full potential. Here is just 🙄🙄🙄talkless of the salaries. Thanks for the great video 👍🏾👍🏾

[@kathib2571]

wie hast du im ende einen job gefunden, und als was genau? wie sieht dein Gehalt aus(auch im Vergleich). mir geht es genauso, nur selbstlerner, und ich fürchte, falls man was findet wird man komplett unterbezahlt, über leiharbeit, oder unbezahlte praktika :-( . wäre schön wenn du mehr berichtest

[@kathib2571]

lässt sich die miese bezahlung umgehen, wenn man eine stelle in einem nicht-deutschen Konzern findet?

[@mikicerise6250]

So inspiring! I'm in my second year of programming education, wondering if I'll ever be good enough to be hired.

[@omidijioluwafisayomi89]

Hi bukola, I began my journey into the tech aspect few months ago, but I'm starting with frontend and I've been motivated by ur videos..but if this is too much to ask, I'll need a mentorship from u because I'm highly motivated by what you've been doing in ur channel... I know this is too much to ask but will be a great boost for me in my journey..love from 🇳🇬

[@victor5265]

Great story, very inspiring, i will take the similar path

[@aqlin000]

Thank you for this VERY helpful :)

[@kirkmclaren4132]

Omg! I’m inspired 🙌

[@roseannereads]

Wow this was great! I'm actually working on my LEAP application right now haha :)

[@Bukola1]

Good luck!! Hope the tips she gave were helpful!

[@leilanidoofy90]

Inspiring!!!!

[@RR-mh7td]

This is so incredibly helpful and valuable to not only inspire but provide real useful advice for anyone trying to find how to transition to a career in programming, without having a CS background. Thank you so much for creating this video, and to both Bukola and Jhilene for sharing their own learning experiences and amazingly helpful roadmaps for others! I am giving Revature a serious consideration, and I wondered if there is a similar company offering "bootcamps" for coding in the GIS field.

[@akillutes6298]

I am so proud of her! She’s so strong 💪🏾. Strong will power!

[@Bukola1]

She really is!

[@colorfulcodes]

Thank you. :)

[@ugochukwuharbor5519]

Inspiring story!

[@CharlesHayden]

Dope!!!

[@Bukola1]

Thank you!

[@Selim_Hasan_Raj]

awesome

[@helmetchillee6235]

Loved it

[@lyfewithfena843]

This is so inspiring

[@Bukola1]

Her story really is!

[@SelftaughtSoftwareEngineer]

Loved it!

[@Bukola1]

So glad!

[@linguisticcolors]

Right on! Welcome to the PNW. I went through a 6 months coding bootcamp and finished in January 2020.

[@cutiepiemania45]

Hi, can I ask which bootcamp and how your experience was? Was it your first coding education ?

[@linguisticcolors]

@@cutiepiemania45 I did the 6 months Trilogy/2U coding bootcamp :bootcamp.uw.edu/coding/landing/?psna=3&psnac=3&s=Google-Brand&msg_cv_scta=4&msg_cv_stbn=1&msg_cv_fcta=1&fqvar1=3&pkw=trilogy%20coding%20bootcamp&pcrid=463279349719&pmt=e&GGL%7CUNIVERSITY-OF-WASHINGTON%7CSEM%7CCODING%7C-%7COFL%7CTIER-1%7CALL%7CBRD%7CEXACT%7CCore%7CBootcamp&s=google&k=trilogy%20coding%20bootcamp&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI176om9CA7gIVACGtBh0eVwzGEAAYAiAAEgISO_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[@cutiepiemania45]

@@linguisticcolors Ty!

[@linguisticcolors]

@@cutiepiemania45 of course

[@claraharmonson2181]

Starting Bootcamp on Monday 😬 So excited!

[@leilanidoofy90]

How is it going?

[@charlesbrown8879]

How many weeks is the bootcamp?

[@claraharmonson2181]

@@charlesbrown8879 is 22 weeks, I'm with Nucamp

[@claraharmonson2181]

@@leilanidoofy90 a humbling learning curve for sure.

[@charlesbrown8879]

@@claraharmonson2181 Stay positive, today is day 1 for me also. You got this

[@frankiefab]

Very inspiring

[@Michael-London]

FDM is big in london as well - worked with lots of them at the banks

[@saiboutouray8002]

I really appreciate your videos it has been very informative. I live in New York and currently majoring in finance. However this is something I have no Interest in. I don’ want to waste time and energy into something I don’t like. The thoughts about IT just happens to randomly came to my mind and I started watching different videos, I came across yours and I was hooked. But I have no experience in technology nor do I have any idea about coding. In addition I don’t even know how to stay and where to start in this journey. So being that you took the self taught route, it will a great idea to share with me all the steps you took.

[@colorfulcodes]

Look into Per Scholas. It's in the Bronx and Brooklyn and it's free. You just have to get accepted. My cousin did it and he got a job after. It's a great opportunity. Best of luck!

[@Bayo106]

you better finish that finance whilst learning programming and get into finance technology ....

[@bielchristo]

Such a sweet girl ! Amazing you bold enough to hand your resume away on the streets. Inspiring !

[@CYKG2023]

One day I will have to be on here for your interview

[@rogerton]

Beautiful and talented

[@maryharris8723]

I Am A Microsoft Software Developer, I Love 💕 My Job!!!

[@curtisdavis8594]

Good show!! Apprenticeships are available.. Thanks

[@darkemo1954]

I was inspired to code from 3 amazing black women. Maya, Bukola and Jhilene. Thank you all. I’m one month in and would love to share my projects with you all.

[@colorfulcodes]

This is so sweet thank you! ❤

[@charles123430able]

I love this video

[@augustusbrown5320]

Pressure Makes Diamonds 💎

[@ROSUJACOB]

You need to get it!!!

[@gmshadowtraders]

The REAL QUEENS!

[@isaac80745]

I’m in Revature lol it’s looking pretty tough but it’s worth it given how easy it is to get in. I kind of regret not getting into CS any sooner because most thing I’m learning is based on computer science.

[@brandi4473]

How was your Revature experience?

[@moetjones4290]

Hi Bukola. I know this is weird but I read a new article about you and how you want to inspire more black women to do join you and the article moved me to look you up on Instagram lol! You inspired me and I want to connect with you!