Melissa Gerbereux | Senior Creative Developer

Courses:

Break Into Tech

I didn’t start taking Skillcrush classes until I was in my 30s. At the time, I was five years into working as a Senior Buyer for a retail company, and I wanted out. It wasn’t the best work environment, my paycheck left a lot to be desired, and I was completely maxed out in terms of my growth potential.

I would wake up every day filled with dread, not wanting to go into that office. I knew I could do better than that.

So I enrolled in Skillcrush.

In only ten months from starting my lessons, I landed a full-time job as a Creative Developer at the global ad agency MiQ, and I’ve never been happier.

With Skillcrush, I had the flexibility to take classes and build my tech skills whenever it was convenient to me. That meant I could take my classes after work. Or I could bring my computer to the office with me and learn during lunch.

In only ten months from starting my lessons, I landed a full-time job as a Creative Developer at the global ad agency MiQ, and I’ve never been happier.

Compared to my last position, my job is like night and day. I’ve now been there for a year and a half, and I absolutely love the work I do, designing and developing ads for major brands. Honestly, no two days are the same.

There’s also so much comeradery on my team, and I’m making the most I’ve ever made in my life—even more than I made in a senior-level position with five years of experience at my previous job—and I’m brand new to the tech world!

Aligned Creative
Aligned Creative, Melissa’s portfolio website.

Before I made the switch, I kept telling myself: “Oh, I’m too old. I’m too far behind. I’ll never learn all this.” But those were just stories—stories we all tell ourselves—because we’re too scared to try. You just have to get started and stick with it and know that you’ll be so grateful on the other side.

I’m so proud of myself and how far I’ve come, all thanks to the skills I learned at Skillcrush. There’s that quote floating around Instagram that’s something along the lines of, “Remember when you once dreamed of being where you are now?” And I truly think of that all the time. Really, I can’t believe I did this! It’s so incredible.

 I 100% cannot recommend Skillcrush enough. It completely changed my life.