Ryan Johnson
Software Engineer
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.”
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By Roadtrip NationRyan Johnson
Milestones
My road in life has taken me all over.
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.
When I graduated, I went into personal training, but it wasn’t as cognitively fulfilling as I wanted.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Bachelor
Sports Administration
Fort Lewis College
Sports Administration
Fort Lewis College
Certification/License
Software Development Program, Computer Software Engineering
Turing School of Software & Design
Software Development Program, Computer Software Engineering
Turing School of Software & Design
Career
Software Engineer
I work on web development for a cryptocurrency platform.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Technology
Engineering
Problem Solving
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
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.
Hurdles
Challenges I Overcame
Financial
School Stress
Imposter Syndrome
Interviewed By
At Your Fingertips
Computer science from new perspectives
