These days, computers are ubiquitous tools in all kinds of industries. So much so, in fact, that just about every successful company must be, on some level, a software company. By the same token, every successful engineer needs a solid grounding in code. Alexandra Briggs realized this right at the start of her career, and it has been paying dividends ever since.
After majoring in physics at the University of Northern Colorado, Alexandra went on to a graduate program in acoustics at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Her education included basic coding skills. But looking around at the state of the job market, she realized she would need more extensive practical training.
Like many in her position, she had difficulty finding a true entry-level role in software engineering—let alone one that would provide her with the training she required. Finally, she found Revature, a company that promised to continue her education in software and, at the end of it, place her on real-life projects with potential employers. That seemed to fit the bill nicely.
At Revature, Alexandra trained in full-stack Java development using the Microservices app architecture—both highly sought-after skills. She also received a recognized certification in the agile working methods considered a gold standard in the software industry.
After that, she was placed on a project with a major telecommunications firm based in the Seattle area. Here, the learning curve was steep, because while still getting to grips with the technical aspects of coding, she had to learn the practicalities of how apps work in the world of business and how to effectively support an ongoing software project in an enterprise setting. But Alexandra not only made it through; she was hired permanently by the client, and she is still thriving there today.
For Alexandra, Revature served as a useful bridge between the spheres of academia and the workplace. Thanks to that support and her own hard work, she has excelled in both worlds.