Lunar Salameh’s journey to launch a career in the tech industry is inspiring. She grew up in Jordan, surrounded by a supportive family of five, and was always encouraged to pursue her passion for tech.
At an early age, she began participating in various tech competitions, cheered on by her family. Early successes, like winning first place in the MOS PowerPoint 2013 competition during high school and the “Future Programmers Contest” at ASU University in 2019, solidified her decision to major in Computer Engineering.
The turning point
In her fourth year of college, Lunar’s interest in web development grew. Initially limited by the affordability and comprehensiveness of available programs, she turned to YouTube for guidance. A month later, she discovered Re:Coded through an Instagram ad and was intrigued by both the pedagogy and the success of our alumni. As she started to learn more about the bootcamp, she knew that it was the perfect fit for her.
“What I liked the most was the moment we presented our very first project to the trainers,” Lunar recalls. She was initially awed by the alumni projects showcased during the project kickoff.
A week later, we were speechless at what we had achieved. I was proud of my teammates and myself for our progress.
But the bootcamp journey wasn’t without its challenges. The final Capstone project, a six-week team project simulating a real-life development project, which lets students apply their technical, soft and teamwork skills, was a steep learning curve for Lunar.
“Being the leader, dividing tasks, and resolving issues was challenging,” she admits.
Yet this experience taught her valuable lessons in responsibility and teamwork. Job interviews also posed a challenge, as she never knew what to expect. Despite the difficulties, Lunar embraced the learning opportunities from each interview experience.
Into the job
Today, Lunar is an intern full-stack engineer at Bainkom CO., a startup where she develops both the front end and back end of the company’s webpage. The remote nature of the internship posed initial challenges.
“The work environment was daunting at first, and I wasn’t sure what was expected of me,” Lunar admits. However, she quickly learned the importance of asking questions and seeking guidance to enhance her skills.
Advice for aspiring developers
“To upcoming full-stack developers, you are entering an exciting field,” Lunar advises. “It will be difficult at first, but keep your ambitions and goals in front of you. With Re:Coded, you’ll learn new skills, gain life and work skills, make friends, and have an amazing time with supportive trainers.”
She encourages new developers to persevere through initial challenges, promising that their hard work will pay off in a few months.
Our bootcamps have closed, but the next step is still free. Source Code Accelerator is open to developers in Iraq, and anyone can start a self-paced Digital Futures course today.
