Culinary School, Supply Chain, and Code

Sometimes you take a chance and completely pivot into an engineering program, only to realize that someone you went to high school with is in the community slack. That’s exactly what happened to Colby Pearce when he recognized Danny Ramos (me 👼🏽) after starting Mod 1 at Turing. Small world, and go Wolverines! Now a software developer at Nextworld, I got to catch up with Colby—from leaving Parker, CO (where we grew up and home of the Chaparral Wolverines) to attend Johnson and Wales, becoming a supply chain buyer, and ultimately finding his way to Turing. 

Supplying Food to Supply Chain

Initially, Colby went Colorado State University and studied history and business. But like many of us in the midst of late nights studying and partying, he began to wonder, “What am I going to do?” After graduating with a degree, he wasn’t really sure what was next but found that he enjoyed working in restaurants. He then attended Johnson and Wales University to earn a culinary arts degree while working. However, the challenging work-life balance in the restaurant industry led him to pursue other career options. 

“At that point, I was already married for a couple years. Monday and Tuesday nights were essentially our only shared time off, which after a while I was like, alright, this sucks.” 

Combining his education and experience, Colby transitioned into a role as a buyer in supply chain management, working for wholesale food manufacturers for about seven to eight years. However, he was still not finding the work-life balance he was looking for, especially with a child on the way. Being on call nonstop while working in sourcing and transportation during COVID-19 (a “complete nightmare”) motivated him to explore a career in tech. His wife, a product manager, recognized that she had managed many Turing alumni throughout her career at Red Robin and Vista Print, so she suggested he try coding and look into Turing. After attending Turing's Try Coding events, Colby decided to hang up the apron and throw away the company phone, and enroll.

“She had developers come on that had gone through the program. So I was like, all right, there's multiple people that are going through this program working at real companies. This seems legit."

New Dad, New to Code

 Although he hated the amount of times he was stuck on the phone while writing up emails, Colby enjoyed the problem-solving aspect of the supply chain management role. Even in the kitchen, he was constantly thinking on his feet, so he was pleased to see that coding was very similar.

“Once I got everything down, two weeks into mod two, I would feel like, all right, now I can meet up, help people out, walk through how I try and break through these problems and make practice problems for other people”

However, it didn't start off that way. With no previous experience in software development and having a newborn baby, Colby quickly realized there was going to be an adjustment period. 

“It wasn't hard for me to implement code when I figured out what I was trying to do, but for me to wrap my head around concepts and what I was supposed to be trying to do, that was the hard part for me. I struggled pretty bad the first time through Mod two.”

As a new dad, Colby faced the huge challenge of balancing being a dad and a husband with the demands of learning to code. The reality of juggling a newborn and a rigorous coding program quickly set in. He gives props to his wife and the schedule he crafted before starting, sticking to it meticulously throughout the program. 

“When I woke up, I would take baby to daycare, come back and then do class. My wife would pick baby up and then I would cook dinner while she did that. We would put him to bed and then I would basically head back downstairs to the basement until 10, 11 or midnight each night and then repeat that.” 

Sticking With It

The job search can be…interesting, especially when that search coincides with widespread tech layoffs. "It was pretty brutal," he said, reflecting on how the slowdown in the job market made finding opportunities challenging. Initially, he planned to network and secure a position during his final months at Turing, but the reality didn’t go as expected.

For three months, Colby applied to around 100 different places, often trying to leverage any connection he could find. "I would try and reach out to any potential tie," he shared, but despite his efforts, he wasn’t getting much traction. At one point, he went through a lengthy interview process, only to be ghosted after completing a coding project and final interview.

Taking a much needed pause from job application for a family wedding, Colby returned to find a new lead through a college friend’s wife who worked at Nextworld. After reaching out to her, receiving a recommendation and then applying for a position, Colby faced weeks of silence. However, much like his persistence in understanding how to code he “just stuck with it” and reached out again before finally getting a response that led to interviews and eventually securing his current role. 

No More Work Phone

Colby has now come full circle at Nextworld, where he's been for a little over a year. After years of using similar ERP software in three different supply chain roles, he's now contributing directly to a similar codebase that powers these systems. New to the tech world he recognizes that he’s continuously learning.

“There's days where I feel like I don't know what I'm doing. Or I just started last week, ya know? But continuing to build on what I've learned there is a win”

Despite the challenges of changing careers, starting a family, learning to code, and navigating a tough job market, Colby was able to secure a role that fit his needs. He now has the work-life balance that is parallel to his wife’s, unlimited PTO, a hybrid work schedule, a short commute, and no more work-related stress outside of office hours. Although his salary is comparable to his previous supply chain role, he now has more room for growth in his new career… and no more calls in the middle of the night. 

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Calls to Action

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