From Registered Nurse to Software Engineer

Before Thinkful

Lucy worked as a registered nurse for five and a half years. She started in a cardiac unit, later spent time in a surgical unit, and worked as a cardiac rehab nurse. The job was grueling, and busy night and weekend hospital shifts took a toll.

Seeking a better work-life balance, she transitioned to a job in utilization management, reviewing insurance claims for medical necessity. In this role, she discovered her love of coding – by accident! While looking for a tool to help eliminate manual data entry, Lucy learned about Javascript and used the language to create a new insurance application. She enjoyed coding that application much more than reviewing claims, so she enrolled in Thinkful’s Full Stack Flex Program to switch careers.

“I heard about Thinkful through my mom, she was a mentor for the program and is a software engineer (so is my dad and both brothers, I am the black sheep now returning to the fold!)”

While Studying

In a traditional university setting, curricula are often bloated with information that’s disconnected from real world applications. That’s why Lucy thinks it’s awesome that everything she learns at Thinkful is critical for helping her launch a new career. Her favorite aspect of the course is working with her mentor.

“I love having a mentor to turn to whenever I have questions. One thing that stands out about my mentor is that he knows how to let me struggle productively! I learn better by solving my own problems and my mentor gives me space to do that. It has relieved any anxiety I had about switching careers and learning something new knowing there is always one person I can turn to if and when I need assistance.”

How Her Life Changed

Once Lucy has more experience, she’s excited to look for opportunities in healthcare – either developing electronic medical record platforms or other health-related software where her experience as a nurse will come in handy.