Meet Our Member: Narae Kwon
Narae Kwon, a professional gayageumist (gayageum is a traditional Korean string instrument), started learning to code when her life in the U.S. began. After months of studying and internship, she successfully transitioned into a software engineer at the web coding platform Qoom. This drastic career change did not happen overnight. Let’s dive into her musician turned engineer career journey.
Q. Please tell us about your career as a gayageumist and how you transitioned your career as an engineer.
N. I majored in gayageum performance in college, and I was a member of the Busan National Gukak Center. I continued my musical career in the U.S., performing occasionally. One day, my husband suggested a Udacity coding class. I was curious and thought it would be a good fit since I enjoy being creative. I enrolled in an introductory course on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Python, and then moved on to the front-end web development course.
Q. Did you have any difficulties studying something outside of your field?
N. I sailed through the introductory course but had a hard time with front-end development. The study included more than 10 hours of required online lessons every week as well as assignments to complete. Since the subject was too vast to cover in one course, I often found myself watching the video repeatedly to understand better. Another downside of online learning is the limited opportunities to ask questions. I rarely had my questions answered on online forums, either. On the upside—especially as a mom—was that I could take lessons whenever I found time. It was also more time- and cost-effective than offline boot camp as a complete novice testing the waters.
Q. How did your job search go after completing the course?
N. I couldn’t find as many opportunities as I expected. Internship programs were mainly for college students, and most full-time positions required a computer science degree, which I didn’t have. One would assume that there should be countless opportunities for aspiring engineers in Silicon Valley, but the reality was not too kind for someone without any prior experience, portfolio, or references. I put myself out there and built experiences—by participating in open projects.
Q. How did Simple Steps assist your job search?
N. From the moment I learned about Simple Steps, I had longed to attend its events. However, when I ended up missing a couple of events, I signed up for an office hour with Doyeon instead. I didn’t even know what exactly office hours were, but it was one of the best decisions I have made. I printed out my resume and carried it with me to the Simple Steps office, feeling nervous the entire time, only to realize that I was genuinely welcome there. Doyeon introduced me to the internship program at Wisen Space, a coding education provider. After nine months of internship at Wisen Space, I joined Qoom—a startup also established by the founder of Wisen Space—as a full-time employee.
I got my resume reviewed at Simple Steps and learned I also need to continuously update my LinkedIn profile and network with other professionals. You can find new ways to upgrade your own profile by browsing other profiles. It was also Simple Steps that gave me the confidence I needed as an aspiring engineer; while filling out the questionnaire at the Next Steps workshop, I realized that I was a collaborator—which explained why I loved playing music with other people and why I would love being an engineer, constantly collaborating with my teammates.
Q. Can you tell us more about Qoom?
N. Qoom is a student-friendly, all-in-one coding platform. On Qoom, you don’t need to worry about installing a code editor, managing the server/database/GitHub, or buying a domain; all you need to do is code your ideas and watch your app or website go live instantly. Students can store their projects under their URL and set them to public or private just as they would with their Facebook profile. By sharing their portfolios, they can also network with each other. Qoom’s suite is entirely made of our products for more accurate assessments of feature usage. We have also recently launched a collaborative coding tool, which is often employed at hackathons for faster completion of team projects.
Q. Do you still study to improve yourself as an engineer?
N. Of course. All employees at Qoom study as needed while at work. I study database languages for about an hour every day. I’m also learning a lot from my husband, who has far more coding experiences than me. He gives me tips on how to develop algorithms and how to write clearer codes.
Q. Do you have any difficulties working from home amid the pandemic?
N. Since our work at Qoom is mostly web-based, things are not very different from the pre-COVID-19 days, except that I communicate with my teammates on Zoom and Swit. The biggest challenge is juggling work, child care, and house chores, including figuring out, “what’s for breakfast/lunch/dinner?” Luckily, the meal planning app I developed has become a huge help. Based on recipe preferences, the app automatically plans out the entire week’s meals. I am working on improving this app to maximize its usability.
Q. Do you have any advice for Simple Steps members?
N. Since I restarted my career, I have become more of a doer than a thinker; instead of fretting or worrying as I used to, I take action first to make better decisions. I recommend you take action first, too! Venture out and build experiences. Choose the path that excites you the most, and it will bring you the most joy and focus.
Narae lives in the Bay Area with her family. She enjoys cooking and playing the gayageum when she is not working. While focusing on her coding skills, Narae also looks forward to expanding her horizons even more. Check out Qoom’s all-in-one coding platform and the Simple Steps Career Development Programs that helped Narae’s career restart process.
Interview date: September 15, 2020
Translated by Hyunjin Kim
