Ryan Johnson
ShapeShift
Denver, CO USA
"The worst possible thing in your life could end up being the best possible thing—it just depends on the perception you have at the time and the angle you’re looking at it."
Career Roadmap
Ryan's work combines: Technology, Engineering, and Problem Solving
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I'm an advocate for my school and other software development bootcamps like it. If you're looking to get into software development, a program like that could help you get your foot in the door and find a job. From there, you'll keep learning on the job until you feel comfortable and confident in your skills.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Sports Administration
Fort Lewis College
Certification
Software Development Program, Computer Software Engineering
Turing School of Software & Design
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
I went to college for sports administration—I didn’t really have a plan, but I wanted to keep playing basketball in school, so sports administration seemed to align well enough.
2.
When I graduated, I went into personal training, but it wasn’t as cognitively fulfilling as I wanted.
3.
I went to work at the physical therapy clinic that my sister was working at, which was a lot more fulfilling for me, so I decided to go back to school for a stronger foundation in exercise science.
4.
Even after completing all the courses I needed with good grades and having a few years of professional experience in clinics, I couldn’t land any interviews.
5.
While driving for Uber, one of my passengers told me about a software engineering bootcamp and encouraged me to check out some free online resources to see if it was something I’d be interested in.
6.
I did some free exercises on Code Academy and realized the problem-solving aspects and tangible results of computer science were similar to what I’d been searching for within physical therapy.
7.
I decided to attend Turing School of Software & Design—the bootcamp my Uber passenger had told me about—and was able to get a job as a software engineer right away!
8.
After two years at my first company, I got a job as a software engineer for ShapeShift, which is involved with cryptocurrency exchange, and am still here now.
Defining Moments
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
When I decided to pursue software development, I was married, had kids, and was the breadwinner for my family. Taking time off of work to go to school full-time was hard. I applied for every financial assistance program that I could to make it work.
My software development program was difficult because it wasn't the type of schooling I was used to. It was extremely challenging but I appreciate that because it essentially prepared me for what this type of work would be like when I got a job.
Imposter syndrome is very common in computer science and software engineering because technology changes so fast. You just have to be motivated to keep learning in this field. It also gets easier when you become comfortable with being uncomfortable.