In his early 20s, Jonathan Borteij found himself without a college degree, working in a restaurant. It was a badly paid, stressful job that Jonathan didn’t enjoy, and he knew it was time to pursue an entirely new career path. That’s when Jonathan discovered Treehouse and began learning. This experience introduced him to the tech industry, which was a perfect fit for him.
Since then, Jonathan has worked as a programmer and now works as a digital content manager at one of the world’s largest ferry operators. Using his Treehouse knowledge, he has also earned 5 certifications from Google. With such a diverse resume of skills alongside his knowledge of digital strategies, Jonathan is starting out on an exciting career path, an opportunity that he credits Treehouse for helping him achieve.
We asked Jonathan to share his story.
What first encouraged you to learn to code and pursue a career as a web developer?
I started programming when I was about 11 years old. I didn’t take it seriously, but it did establish my interest in the web and web development. I was curious about how the technology of the web worked and how I could use it to build things that I could use with my friends. However, at the time, there weren’t any platforms like Treehouse to learn how to code.
A few years ago, with the help of Treehouse, I began seriously learning to code and received my first job as a programmer. I was able to use all of the knowledge I had learned both in practice and in job interviews. Today I work at one of the world’s largest ferry operators companies as a digital content manager.
None of this would happen if it wasn’t for Treehouse, which is why I still used it a lot to grow my coding skills.
What were you doing when you first joined Treehouse and how did you integrate learning into your everyday life?
I worked at a restaurant. It was stressful and badly paid and I had to decide what I wanted to do with my life. I chose to learn computer programming so I could combine it with digital marketing. I don’t regret changing my career in my 20s. I earn a great salary each month and there aren’t many people my age in the same position without a college degree. But in the tech world, it’s possible.
There aren’t many people my age in the same position without a college degree. But in the tech world, it’s possible.
What has the value of a Treehouse education meant to you?
My Treehouse education has been extremely valuable to me, it has taught me all the basics, but it has also taught me how to create and build advanced skills. I also gained an extremely good understanding of SEO and have been able to help companies increase their revenues using digital strategies and SEO. One example is a wholesale company in Sweden that increased its turnover significantly in less than 2 years. So I guess my training at Treehouse has also meant a lot to the employers who have hired me!
What advice would you share with students who are just starting to learn to code?
The most important thing is to never to stop dreaming. Tech is the future, so invest in yourself and the knowledge, and keep on learning new technologies. Build a goal and make sure you reach it.
If you have a dream to start working as a web developer, be sure to follow your Treehouse lessons. Every time you get a notification email from Treehouse, make sure to complete the course. If you do not succeed with your quizzes and code challenges the first time, be sure to try again. You will find it difficult to understand syntax and code at the beginning, everybody does. But you will learn it, I promise.
The most important thing is to never to stop dreaming. Tech is the future, so invest in yourself and the knowledge, and keep on learning new technologies.
What are your plans for the future?
I will continue to work and keep learning new technologies. I have also received a lot of interest in my digital marketing skills. I plan to start a course at Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in digital marketing. They have one of the world’s best digital marketing programs. I would never have been able to take on an educational opportunity like this if I wasn’t well-paid as a developer. I’ll also continue learning with Treehouse, particularly as they’re great at sharing the latest tech industry news.
Start learning to code today with your free trial on Treehouse.
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The post From Waiter to Programmer & Digital Content Manager: Jonathan Borteij’s Story appeared first on Treehouse Blog.
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