How a Modeling Agency Manager Became a Software Developer

We’re all friends here in the tech-blog scene, so let’s get honest for a second. Sometimes lack of inspiration hits you like a ton of bricks and deadlines aren’t forgiving. I’m not saying I have the hardest job in the world but it does require a certain finesse. So when I didn’t know what to write I turned to my longtime friend - the web - for help.

While scouring the internet for an interesting topic for my newest company blog article I overheard a coworker say something that has stopped me in my tracks. The thing that shocked me to hear in a room full of developers was “While I was managing a modeling agency”. I immediately turned around with a head full of questions. Why did this guy turn from working with literal models to writing endless lines of code? What was his reason? How did it all come about? And I suddenly knew what my next article would be.

To all you folks wondering at home - is it possible to suddenly become a developer and completely change your (professional) life? Well, while not quite easy, it’s not impossible either. Let’s take our friendly developer as an example and take a deep dive into his life.

Lukasz, is a 27 year old man, with a passion for art and tech. Interesting combination you say? I thought so too - and so I kept dwelling. In his own words “I spent my life torn between the two worlds and kept going back and forth. When I was in primary school I got my first computer and fell in love with fixing it up. Even as a kid I was fascinated with how it all worked. My hobby turned into a plan for the future when I went to an IT technical school.”

By now you’re probably wondering - as was I - what about the models?! Turns out, our friendly developer is also a talented painter and decided to pursue a painting degree at an Art School. There he developed a passion for graphic design and photography. His interests pushed him to study film production. From there he started earning his money shooting portfolios for models. With time he got offered a managing position for a modeling agency but quickly got bored. If you’re internally screaming I assure you - I was as surprised as you are right now. Turns out, he missed the tech aspect and decided to change careers. He then became a product manager for an electronic supply company and began handling contracts with powerhouse brands like Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft, just to name a few.

“After few years I felt stagnation creeping up on me. I wanted to grow professionally, try new things and create again. I decided to try to combine my two biggest passions in life and learn to code. In my mind it perfectly combined my love of all things tech with constant development (pun intended) and creating my own product.”

Sounds neat, doesn’t it? But it didn’t answer all of my questions. Surely the desire to learn programming at home isn’t enough to become a developer? How did he go about finding a job in this competitive market?

“Turns out the programming world is forgiving when it comes to age of beginners. Most of my basic coding skills I learned at home but then I needed some hands on experience. I was lucky enough to score an internship with Naturaily, where they taught me to code while avoiding technical debt, be thorough and last but not least they’ve let me stay creative. After my internship I’ve decided to stay and become a fully fledged developer. I love what I do because it gives me me the ability to continuously broaden my knowledge and grow professionally.”

Inspiring, isn’t it? The moral of the story is - don’t be afraid of changing careers and becoming a developer, because it’s never too late to start learning and with a little bit of support you too can become a coding expert.