Ally Haire successfully made the transition from university to the workplace. At 30, she returned to university to study mechatronic engineering and computer science.
Ally Haire is a woman of many skills. She’s a coder, developer, software engineer, entrepreneur and an amateur Francophone (French speaker)!
After finishing high school Ally started an arts degree. She majored in politics and philosophy but wasn’t really passionate about either. As a result, she never finished her degree.
Instead, she found herself running a cafe, her days filled with lattes and long Blacks. She continued in the cafe world for 8 years but after eventually selling her business she realised it was time to think about studying again.
So, at the age of 30, Ally returned to university.
This time around she took a very different direction and decided to major in mechatronic engineering.
As part of this degree she studied coding. To her surprise, she fell in love with it, hooked on the intersection of creativity, technology and societal applications. She quickly upgraded to a mechatronic engineering and computer science double degree so she could dive deep into the world of developing.
Ally went on to make the transition from University to the workplace.
Today, she’s an IBM Developer Advocate, working closely with developers and open source communities around the globe. She’s passionate about sharing her experience and helping build a supportive and inclusive tech community.
Not only was Ally such a wonderful guest, I have no doubt you will find her story inspiring and relatable.
In this episode we cover:
- Ally’s career journey from cafe owner to software engineer and IBM developer advocate (6:22)
- Her transition from university to the workplace, how it’s different for women compared with men, and what organisations can do to smooth the process (11:37)
- Her advice for university graduates transitioning into the workforce (various)
- Call for Code hackathon, what it is, and how to participate (23:10)
- And so much more!
Episode Resources
- Ally Haire on Twitter and Linkedin
- Call for Code Hackathon Registration
- Article on Accenture blog, From Coffee Beans to Coding
- Book, Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts, by Brene Brown (author)
- Book, Curveballs: How to Keep It Together when Life Tries to Tear You a New One, by Emma Markezic (author)
[Full Disclaimer: Some of these links may be affiliate links, which means we receive compensation, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase through the link.]
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