Erika Tepler | Head of Marketing

I’m from the USA and now I live in Seville, Spain. I was living here and working as a teacher, and I was thinking it would be great for me to stay here in Europe, but I needed to figure out a salary that was more sustainable. The average income in Seville is only about $1200/month, which is about what it cost me to fly home…so I knew I needed more and that working remotely would be the best way to get there. 

So I started looking online at the jobs that were available for remote workers, and I began to notice that a lot of them required skills in coding and marketing. That led me to begin researching learn-to-code sites, and in the process I signed up for the Skillcrush free coding camp. 

As I went through the coding camp lessons, I remember thinking, “These people really know what they’re doing. They’re good teachers.” If you’re a good teacher, you can teach me anything. And so I decided to take the Break into Tech course.

In just two months, Skillcrush gave me the confidence to apply to jobs and say, “Yeah! Now I work in tech.”

The Break Into Tech classes put things into practical, bite-sized pieces. I felt like I could do a big chunk of coursework or a really small chunk, and I had really quick success. When I finished that HTML project, I stood up and I was like, “I am amazing! I can actually do a thing!” Those successes get people to the ‘aha moment’ really fast.

I started my Skillcrush course in November, I went full force in November and December, and at the end of December, I had a job! I hadn’t even finished my coursework yet. In just two months, Skillcrush gave me the confidence to apply to jobs and say, “Yeah! Now I work in tech.”

I now work remotely as the head of marketing at this awesome Swedish startup called Panion. I can do everything from writing the HTML in the emails, to app store optimization with keywords, to outreach to businesses, to creating an Instagram post. It’s crazy when I use a skill I learned from Skillcrush at work—not because it’s unusual, but because it feels so good!

I have more to be excited about when it comes to my career path. By having a few hard skills, it makes my career opportunities feel wide open. It’s not even a career “path” anymore…there’s just this wide-open space for people with these skills to succeed in.

Overall, I’m most proud that I made a change. I wanted a change, and I did it. And Skillcrush gave me the confidence to do it.