In today’s fast evolving job market, the ability to adapt and reskill is becoming essential for career success. For many individuals, the path to finding fulfillment in their professional lives involves navigating through various roles and industries until they discover their true passion.
Such is the case for Soraia Tavares, whose journey from a background in Business Administration to a prosperous career in Data Engineering serves as an inspiring testament to the power of determination and reskilling.
In this interview, she tells us about her journey and how she transitioned. We’ll hear about the challenges she faced, the game-changing moments, and how learning new skills transformed her career.
Let’s dive into Soraia’s story of reskilling and making it work!
Can you tell us about your background and how it influenced your decision to pursue reskilling and change careers?
My background is in Business Administration. Right out of college, my first office job was in an Accounts Payable department. After working there for a year, I started to feel stuck without any room for growth or personal development. So, I decided to spend a year abroad in South Korea.
While living there, I found two jobs working closely with software engineers and other tech-related positions. It was like a bell ringing in my head; I found something I was interested in and wanted to learn more about.
Can you walk us through the steps you took to reskill and make the career change?
I tried to take a ‘realistic’ approach and researched extensively about how people typically change careers. Unfortunately, most of the stories I found were US-based, where the job market is much larger and more accepting of career changes, especially for individuals with completely different backgrounds.
Finally, I realized that many people in the tech industry start their careers as Data Analysts and then naturally progress into other roles such as Data Engineers, Data Scientists, and so on. Moreover, I discovered that the entry-level requirements for these roles are relatively low compared to other professions. This realization helped me define my goal.
I focused on acquiring the main skills required, particularly SQL and Python (with Python being a valuable asset for most positions).
What challenges did you encounter during the reskilling process, and how did you overcome them?
Tech is so diverse and many fields sound interesting to me! I think the hardest thing is to create a clear study path and stick to it. It’s easy to get trapped in the ‘endless research’ cycle and keep changing resources, thinking there might be something better out there.
To combat this, I set clear goals and selected specific resources for learning both SQL and Python, and I stuck to them. While there may have been more efficient learning methods available, I firmly believe that nothing beats consistency.”
What is your current career aspiration, and how close do you feel you are to achieving it?
My goal is Data Engineering and I’m actually quite close to achieving that goal.
What resources or support systems did you find most helpful during your reskilling journey?
One of my top resources during my reskilling journey was Youtube. It is amazing! There are videos for literally everything and the quality is great. Additionally, I enjoyed using HackerRank to challenge myself while learning SQL and Python.
Can you share any significant moments or milestones you experienced while reskilling?
I’d say a crucial moment in my current job was when I found a solution for something that consultants were claiming was impossible.
How did your previous experience or skills transfer to your new career?
Sadly, I had no transferable hard skills. As for soft skills, I was always passionate about learning which is a great quality to have in the tech world.
What advice would you give to others considering a career change through reskilling?
Define a goal, the steps to achieve that goal and stick to it. If your background is completely different, transitioning directly to your desired career might be challenging. However, gaining experience in any tech-related role can pave the way for smoother progress toward your goal.
In hindsight, is there anything you would have done differently during your reskilling process?
One thing I wish I’d done differently is to try to find some sort of mentor who could help me how companies actually work. Working on personal projects is one thing, but collaborating with others in a larger and more complex environment presents a different challenge altogether.
How has your life changed since successfully transitioning to your new career?
I’m satisfied with what I do at work and the amount of challenges I have. Also the tech world being more flexible than other careers made my work-life balance much more healthy. Plus, the salaries tend to be higher which is always a great benefit!
About the author
Gemma Garralon is an Event & Marketing Coordinator at women++. She is currently diving into Digital Marketing and Analytics through her master’s studies. With three years of hands-on experience in social media, content creation, and event organization, she excels in planning, creating engaging content, and orchestrating successful events. Gemma’s unique blend of creativity and analytical skills ensures every project she tackles delivers outstanding results and leaves a lasting impact.
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