From her early college days, Kailey Rogers had a knack for behind-the-scenes production. Majoring in visual effects production from the Digital Animation and Visual Effects (DAVE) school, Kailey had hoped that with a degree, job hunting would be easy. After graduation, she had discovered it wasn’t and started looking outside her major for new opportunities.
“At the time, I was looking for any job, but I had a bachelor’s in visual effects production which doesn’t relate at all to coding. However, I always knew I had a passion for coding since middle school.”
Even though she had a basic knowledge of JAVA, HTML, and CSS from college courses, Kailey was apprehensive about applying to a technology job without the experience or major. Then, she found Revature.
“I noticed Revature considered people with all backgrounds and all majors. So, I gave it a shot and applied – they responded the very next day and I was mind blown. They were going to actually pay me to learn, and they did exactly that.”
Living in Winter Haven, Florida, Kailey attended Revature’s training location in Tampa. This is where her passion for coding that had been dormant since middle school, was brought to life through our immersive training opportunity in Pega.
“I’m happy to be learning Pega. It is the perfect compliment to me, it’s something I can understand really well. My knowledge of Java and full-stack helps make it easier to understand what’s going on behind the hood of Pega too.”
When it comes to relocating, Kailey and her fiance can’t wait. “We see relocating as a new adventure. We see it as a chance to go somewhere new. After my training, I’ll get to go to a whole new state, see new places, and meet new people where I’ll start my life with my fiance and our dog. It’s really exciting.”
Kailey’s sight is on the future, and she knows that her goals will continue to evolve, similar to the technology she’s learning. “After I’m done with the training, I want to start learning the Pega robotics section. Eventually I can become a lead system architect – that would look awesome on my resume. Really, the overall goal is to keep coding like a storm with Pega.”
To Kailey, what does it mean to be a woman in tech? “I know it’s not the norm. That’s what I like about it – it’s fun. My roommate, who was training in the same technology, Sadie was the team lead for our project. It was rewarding to see what we can accomplish when we support one another to succeed.”
To anyone who is about to start their Revature career, Kailey’s advice is to “always practice. Practice what you’re learning and study. Use the code challenges through RevaturePro. Take advantage of any practice assessments – they will keep you sharp.”
Now, Kailey is a Pega-certified systems architect and working for one of the leading IT consulting firms in the country. Interested in launching your tech career like Kailey? Join our team today.