Author: Yolanda

My non-linear path

My professional journey didn’t begin in tech—it began in healthcare. As a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA), I worked closely with patients to help them regain independence and improve their quality of life. That experience shaped my work ethic, empathy, and communication skills. I learned how to break down complex tasks into manageable steps, collaborate with interdisciplinary teams, and stay patient through challenging situations. Although it wasn’t a technical role, it built the soft skills that I still rely on today as a developer.

Over time, I became increasingly curious about technology and problem-solving in a different context. That curiosity led me to join 100Devs, a community-driven software engineering program focused on full-stack development and career transition. Through 100Devs, I immersed myself in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, backend development, and networking. More importantly, I learned how to think like a developer—how to debug, how to read documentation, and how to approach challenges methodically. The program gave me both technical foundations and the confidence to pursue opportunities in tech.

After completing the program and continuing to build projects, I landed my first role in the industry. Transitioning into tech was both exciting and intimidating. I had to adapt quickly to new tools, workflows, and expectations, but my background in healthcare helped me remain adaptable and team-oriented. I focused on learning as much as possible, asking thoughtful questions, and becoming increasingly independent in my responsibilities. Getting that first job validated the risk I took in changing careers.

Unfortunately, like many others in the industry, I eventually experienced a layoff. While it was a difficult moment, it also gave me space to reflect on my direction and growth. Instead of viewing it as a setback, I chose to treat it as a pivot point—an opportunity to reassess my goals, strengthen my skills, and refine the type of work I want to pursue. I began revisiting projects, upskilling, and exploring areas like CMS development more intentionally.

During this transition period, I’ve been contributing my skills to support a local nonprofit little league organization. Helping them with their web presence and digital needs has allowed me to combine technical ability with community impact—something that has always been important to me. It’s reminded me that technology isn’t just about code; it’s about serving people and making systems easier to use and maintain.

Looking back, my journey from healthcare to tech hasn’t been linear—but it has been intentional. Each stage, from COTA to 100Devs, from landing my first job to navigating a layoff, has strengthened my resilience and adaptability. Now, as I continue building and refining my skills, I’m focused on creating meaningful digital solutions while staying grounded in the people-first mindset that started my career.

Why I rebuilt my portfolio using a CMS

I originally built my personal website as a static site using HTML and CSS to strengthen my front-end foundations. Creating everything from scratch helped me better understand layout structure, responsive design, and how content is rendered in the browser. It was an important step in my development journey because it forced me to think carefully about clean code, organization, and user experience without relying on frameworks or external tools.

As I continued growing, I realized that maintaining a static website wasn’t the most efficient way to manage evolving content. Every time I wanted to update a project, adjust copy, or add a new section, I had to manually edit the code and redeploy the site. While that process reinforced technical discipline, it wasn’t scalable for long-term content management—especially if I want to regularly publish blog posts, case studies, or portfolio updates.

Transitioning to a WordPress CMS allows me to separate content from presentation. Instead of hard-coding each page, I can now create structured posts, organize them with categories, and build reusable templates. This approach reflects how many real-world businesses manage their websites—through dynamic content systems that empower easier updates and long-term flexibility.

Rebuilding my portfolio with WordPress also aligns with my career goals. As someone interested in CMS-focused development roles, it’s important for me to demonstrate not only front-end fundamentals but also experience working within a content management system. This transition shows that I understand both the technical foundation of web development and the practical workflows that teams use to manage, scale, and maintain content-driven websites.

Ultimately, this shift isn’t about replacing my static site, it’s about evolving it. By converting my website into a CMS-driven platform, I’m building something that is more sustainable, professional, and aligned with the direction I want my development career to grow.

The Collab Lab is a remote-first, volunteer-driven program designed to help early-career developers gain real-world experience by working on production-level applications in small teams. Founded by The Collab Lab, the program matches participants—known as “Collabies”—into groups of four and guides them through a structured, sprint-based development process. Each team is supported by experienced volunteer mentors who provide technical guidance, facilitate collaboration, and model professional software development practices. The focus isn’t just on building an app—it’s on learning how to work effectively on a distributed engineering team.

One of the most impactful aspects of Collab Lab is the emphasis on collaboration over individual coding. Participants practice agile workflows, run stand-ups, plan sprint work, and use GitHub for issues, pull requests, and code reviews. Many Collabies share that this experience is their first time contributing to a shared codebase with structured peer review, which builds both technical confidence and communication skills. Beyond writing code, developers learn how to navigate merge conflicts, give and receive constructive feedback, scope features realistically, and support teammates through blockers. The result is not only a finished project, but a deeper understanding of team dynamics in software development.

As a Collabie myself, I experienced firsthand how transformative the program can be. Working closely with three other developers, I learned how to articulate my thought process, advocate for ideas, and compromise when needed. I gained confidence in pushing code, reviewing others’ work, and contributing to architectural decisions. More importantly, I developed a sense of belonging in tech—being part of a team that was learning and growing together made the journey feel less isolating and more empowering.

After completing the program, I transitioned into a mentor role to support new incoming Collabies. Stepping into mentorship allowed me to give back to a community that had played a meaningful role in my growth. As a mentor, I guided teams through sprint planning, encouraged inclusive collaboration, and helped troubleshoot technical challenges without taking ownership away from the developers. This shift deepened my leadership skills and reinforced my belief that strong engineering teams are built not only on technical ability, but on empathy, communication, and shared accountability.