Bev McGhee has always loved tech. After high school, she knew she wanted to pursue it in her collegiate studies.
“I went to school for Tech in 2006 hoping to pursue programming,” McGhee said. “But I was pushed by my advisor to pursue networking instead. I stuck with it and got my bachelor’s degree in networking. However, I quickly realized after graduating that I found networking boring.”
Without a good advisor who listens to your passions, getting stuck on a degree path that limits your dreams and narrows your career options based on their recommendations is easy. She needed time to recalibrate. While working a full-time job as a manager at Malco Theaters, Bev began to search for ways to learn to program that didn’t require her to return to school. In 2016, she found Tech901.
“In 2016, I attended the Foundation's course and had a great experience,” McGhee said. “The teachers were great, and they taught more than what was on the syllabus, bringing their own experience and not letting anyone fall behind.’
Throughout 2020 and 2021, Bev began experimenting with app development and, in 2022, enrolled in our Code 1.0 class to further her programming knowledge and realize her aspirations.
“Some of the course was familiar to me at first,” McGhee said. “But quickly, it became very challenging as we began working through multiple coding languages.”
From basic projects to advanced projects, using languages like C and Python, Bev felt supported by her instructors and her classmates.
“It was not easy, and I’m proud of everyone in my class,” McGhee said. “It’s easy to quit when faced with as much work as we had in this class. But our teacher’s always encouraged and helped us ‘get it.’”
Now, while still working full-time, Bev is developing mobile games for children. She’s pulling both from languages learned through our coding program and other languages she is learning independently.
“The best thing I took away from my course, even more so than the multiple coding languages, was simply learning how to learn,” McGhee said. “Through the methods I learned at Tech901, I can quickly pick up a new language and just go with it. My goal is to start building out my portfolio with apps I’m working on.”
Unlike while in college, Bev feels empowered and equipped to pursue her interests and see where they take her.
We’re proud of Bev and are thrilled to see her pursue her passions through the knowledge gained through our programs. To those considering learning coding at Tech901, Bev shared an encouraging word.
“If you want to build something and just don’t know how Tech901 will help you learn,” McGhee said. “They’re flexible if you have a busy schedule and struggle to find time for yourself; there’s a pathway for you at Tech901.”
