Sarah’s Story from Historical Performer and Educator to Software Developer

Momentum graduate Sarah Wines has taken the engineering field by storm since her November 2021 graduation. Sarah describes herself as a software developer with a background in historical performance and education. Her current role is as an associate software engineer at Brightly, where she works on an agile development team on the company’s existing software.  

Prior to joining Momentum, Sarah worked as a digital archivist, music educator, and musician. She first heard about Momentum in 2018, and her spouse completed the program shortly thereafter. The experience of those she knew who graduated from the program and their ability to thrive in the tech field convinced her to take the leap herself. As Sarah put it, “I imagined that the experience would be individualized and that I would have a reliable network for support. It also helped that I already knew several Momentum alums who had gone on to successful tech careers.” 

When reflecting on how Momentum helped get her where she is today, Sarah first noted the importance of teamwork. Sarah explained that the experience of working on a team of developers was highly valuable, as that mirrors her day-to-day experience on the job at Brightly. She generally starts her day with a brief team meeting, or stand-up, and spends the rest of the day working on tasks either independently or with other team members. The curriculum and instructors at Momentum also set a good foundation for constant learning and finding solutions to problems. Additionally, after the technical portion of the program, career services prepared Sarah for the challenge of interviewing and presenting her new skills in a way that was desirable to employers. 

The curriculum and instructors at Momentum also set a good foundation for constant learning and finding solutions to problems.

Sarah’s career change experience from historical performer and educator to software developer is truly unique and goes to show that anyone who desires it and puts their mind to it can become a software developer! Whether you worked as a musician, educator, or bartender, making the career switch to tech may be just the change you need. The number of individuals considering a career change coupled with the desperate need for tech talent makes now the perfect time to try coding. Contact our team at Momentum today to learn more about our software engineering bootcamp and how we can help make your career change as seamless as possible.