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Meet Aaron, A Sabio Instructor

Aaron is a software developer who has recently discovered his natural teaching ability by becoming an instructor at Sabio, a full-stack software development bootcamp based in Los Angeles. And he’s loving every minute of it.

Aaron worked with Gregorio, one of the Sabio co-founders, while working atCode Particle. They had been working closely together for about two years when Gregorio left the company to follow another passion and start Sabio. While Aaron continued to work at Code Particle he had a curiosity about the bootcamp model, so reached out to Gregorio. He has now been teaching at the school full-time since February. The main reason he has been enjoying the career shift is that he can use his skills in newfound ways in order to better the lives of others.

“It’s pretty great. I love the fact that I get to help people. That’s the number one thing because I’ve been programming for years and years but I never really felt like I was doing anything that affects anyone except my clients. I thought ‘here are people that are looking for a better job and a better life, and hopefully I can help them improve upon their position.’ It’s about the people, and that’s the best aspect of it.”

Aaron studied programming as an undergraduate, and has been a professional developer since he graduated in 2005. He says, “I guess you could say I got a little burned out. It’s a tough job to do.” He worked at Code Particle for 5 1/2 years, learned a lot at that company. He also spent time working for various startups during his career, and loves the solutions-based aspects of computer programming.

“For me it’s the problem-solving aspect of it, that’s the best. I like the fact that with computers it’s a program that needs to be solved, and you can solve it with your mind. There’s  a certain rush that you get when you have a short amount of time to come up with the solution. That’s one thing that I do miss about programming professionally; it feels good when people are using your code and you’re successful in building things for them. There’s definitely a satisfaction to that.”

Aaron’s transition into teaching began in January when he picked up the weekend class at Sabio. This is also when Aaron and his wife had their first child, so things got pretty hectic for his new family at the beginning of the year. The weekend class went so well that Gregorio asked Aaron to come back and teach the next cohort full time. Now, Aaron teaches two cohorts and Gregorio teaches one, so you can imagine things get pretty intense around there. Aaron’s cohort ends in May, and then he will be working five days a week, cutting back on the current seven.

The students Aaron teaches are “from all over the place” in more ways than one. His cohort is comprised of “one guy that used to be a professional welder, some college or hospital administrators, some that are entrepreneurs that launch their startup, one guy who was going to get a Masters degree in computer science but came to Sabio for a more cost- and time-effective option.” Aaron says the overall theme is people that just want to get to the next level, and have the work ethic and desire to create something better for themselves.

Sabio teaches jQuery and Angular, two popular Javascript libraries, as well as C# and Microsoft SQL for the database. They also teach best practices in the industry for project management. Basically everything Aaron used for his old job. But to Aaron, the best part about Sabio is that you can land a software development job like his by going through a more vocational program rather than obtaining a computer science degree.

Prior to becoming an instructor at Sabio, Aaron got a little teaching practice in as an on-the-job mentor. Code Particle was into bringing in younger, inexperienced junior programmers, so Aaron had the opportunity to train two or three people over the course of five years. He learned some important lessons about how to be a good teacher during that process. “The main thing is you have to be patient with them. It was good exposure but it was nothing compared to what I’m doing [at Sabio]. Luckily my students tell me I’m a natural (those are their words!) and they seem to be learning quickly.” Aaron says that his newborn daughter has simultaneously been teaching him the patience required to be an instructor. He admits that the patience required to be a teacher and a father can be testing at times, but he loves it.

In addition to the intensity of instructing at that level, Aaron says another positive difference that teaching has brought to his life is the feeling he gets at the end of the day. “As far as my own personal peace of mind, I feel good when I leave at night. I don’t feel stressed out.”

That feeling of peace comes in part from working for a school as dedicated as Sabio. They work hard to empower their students and ensure that they are getting a quality education and placement into fantastic jobs. Part of that commitment manifests itself in the small class sizes that have composed Sabio’s cohorts thus far. They usually take on about six to eight students so each gets more one on one time. This is important because Sabio teaches programming languages that are fairly difficult to learn, but powerful once you get into the rigors of the real world and are on the job hunt. “We tailor our classes very closely to what the market wants. It’s a circular subject, so we’re making sure to stay on top of it.”

Another focus of Sabio is bringing underrepresented populations into the industry. Women make up about 20% of the software development industry, but Aaron points out that the Latin American population is much lower, making up only about 4-5% of the industry. Sabio is working to increase their representation in the industry, which is a factor that sets them apart. The founders of Sabio are really serious about that, and the classroom maintains a respectful environment for everyone. For Aaron, it’s something he really loves about Sabio and takes very seriously.

It should come as no surprise that Aaron sees himself teaching at Sabio for a long time. The school is on a roll; they have a waiting list and recently presented at South by Southwest, and Aaron exemplifies this passion and drive in his own work for the school. “I haven’t been excited to go to work for many years but that’s something that motivates me for sure. Making a difference is just something I wasn’t getting in my old job. From where I’m standing I’m excited to be doing this for a long time.”

For those wishing to pursue learning code, Aaron’s biggest piece of advice is to stay calm. Coding can be a big endeavor; it’s very difficult and stressful and it can become overwhelming. This is the same advice that Aaron gives his students: “You have to relax, you have to breathe. You can’t let it become you. In the end it’s just a job. You have to maintain a balance between your life and your programming. If you throw yourself at it 100% that’s respectable, but you’re going to burn yourself out. Programming is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. You have to manage your emotions, show respect to the people around you even when you’re frustrated. And you have to learn to live the life.”

quickfact //

What do you like to do in your free time?

A lot of my free time gets taken up by my baby daughter. I go to martial arts classes to try to stay in shape, that’s the only hobby that I really have time for right now. I guess you could say I’m a dog lover. Back before my daughter was born we did a lot of camping and hiking. We love Yosemite. That’s our spot.