Hannah Jiang had been a tax consultant for nearly a decade — advising clients and reviewing returns — when she decided to reinvent her career.
“I didn’t want to play it safe and stay where I was just because I had already spent 10 years in accounting,” she says.
But the decision wasn’t easy, especially with two small children at home. She worried about supporting her family and being able to hack it as a student in her mid-30s. So signing up for classes at Flatiron School required a “leap of faith.”
What helped her push forward with her plans was Flatiron School’s Women Take Tech initiative, created in 2017 to increase opportunity for future female software engineers and ultimately change the face of tech. Since then the coding academy has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship.
This year’s scholarship, cosponsored by WeWork, will cut tuition in half for 25 women. The total scholarships will add up to $100,000.
Today Jiang is a software engineer at BlackRock, the global investment management company based in New York City. Her advice to other women dreaming of a career in coding? You should “truly love what you do.”
We talked with Jiang about how her life has changed since studying at Flatiron School.
How did you go from accounting to programming? And what drew you to it?
I first discovered programming years ago while studying physics as an undergrad. But I didn’t pursuing a career in the programming field until years later. Having been involved with several internal software testing projects with accounting firms, I found myself drawn to the tech world, wanting to get more hands-on with code.
Do you feel you faced any barriers as a woman breaking into tech?
Absolutely. The biggest barrier was to overcome my fears and doubts — from myself and family and friends — that a mom in her mid-30s can still study hard and work hard to change her career.
The second biggest barrier for me: taking care of family while studying and potentially being unemployed for a long period of time while searching for a job in tech. The only way to overcome those mental barriers was to take a leap of faith and be firm in my choice. I had to constantly remind doubters that it’s important to do the things that matter to me for the rest of my life. As for the financial and time barriers, luckily I had the full support of my husband and parents.
What was the hardest part of the experience and how did you tackle it?
For me, the most difficult part was finding time to study. I studied everywhere and any time that I had a break – most of the time from midnight to 4 a.m. while my kids were sleeping. After finishing the course, the most difficult part was landing a job. But through many failed interviews, I kept on learning and honing my interview skills to do better on the next one.
And you must have gotten your skills to a great place because you’re now a software engineer at BlackRock. What’s an average day for you? What’s your favorite part of the job?
This is my third month at Blackrock as a software engineer. I am working on a web application that helps client gain insight into investment data. My average day involves about 90 to 95 percent coding in Java and Javascript and 5 to 10 percent planning and strategizing with team members. My favorite parts of the job are making contributions to the project and at the same time learning so many new things on a daily basis.
What was your favorite part of the Flatiron School online experience?
I liked the whole package: the flexibility of the online program, the great curriculum, the fantastic career support, and the community.
Finally, do you have any advice for other women who want to break into tech?
My advice is to truly love what you do. If you are truly passionate about tech, you will find the courage and motivation to move forward.
Flatiron School and WeWork have partnered to award 25 women scholarships to Flatiron School’s Online Web Developer Program. Apply for the scholarships here.