Careers in Code Student Success Stories: Dana (Davis) McMullen
We’re two months post-graduation for our Careers in Code bootcamp and already our students are achieving their goals. Some of them were even getting out there before the program wrapped up in August! Today we want to highlight one of the more active grads from our first cohort, Dana (Davis) McMullen.
When Dana joined Careers in Code earlier this year, she was working as an Employment Consultant with a local social-services agency. Prior to that, she spent a great deal of her professional career at Syracuse University and Onondaga Community College providing Assistive Technology Services to individuals who had difficulty with reading, writing, and using the internet. She’s also certified to provide technology instruction to individuals who have low or no vision.
After six months of learning all the tools she needs to become a full-stack developer, she was able to leave her job to work on her dream full-time!
“This is what all of those long days and weekends were about. I know there is an exciting journey ahead, but to be working in this field and to have my first paycheck as a web developer, I feel like the journey has come full circle for me.”
Here’s what Dana has been up to as a developer:
- Part-time position as a website intern at the Syracuse Poster Project.
- Part-time internship for LaToya Jones’ campaign for Clay Town Council as a web developer and digital and print media content creator. She created the website for the campaign, which is fully responsive to be viewed on a full screen, tablet, or mobile phone. See it here.
- Part-time internship in web development for The Stand newspaper, working with the Syracuse University Newhouse School’s students from Professor Adam Peruta’s ICC565 Designing Interactivity class, staff from The Stand, and a group of local tech professionals. Her primary role is to develop the back-end of the website after the students finish creating the front-end.
- Principle conference organizer for the Major League Hacking Technology Learning Day Conference in October, also planning for the next event in December. Jennifer Tran, co-organizer of the event and Teaching Assistant for Cohort I of Careers in Code, said the following:
“Dana managed to organize all of [the event’s needs], from securing a venue, speakers, sponsors, equipment, etc. IN ONLY TWO WEEKS! This event exemplifies that the [students] of Careers in Code [Cohort 1] can do anything.”
- Freelance position as a private contractor for a local business to help with workflow management and task automation.
- Freelance position as a web developer on a church website for a local Bishop.
How is she able to do it all?
“All are part-time, and all but one are remote, meaning I literally work from anywhere at any time. I organize my schedule so that I work at least 35 hours a week on the paid internship jobs,” Dana said.
“The one that isn’t remote, I try to keep consistent hours, but when I can’t, it’s never a problem for this employer. This is good for me because I feel I have the work/family balance that I’ve always wanted.”
Keep up with Dana on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. You can also visit her website here.
