Sara Peña

“You can teach someone how to code, but you cannot teach passion or drive, and that is what my Per Scholas colleagues and I have.”

That passion and drive have helped Sara Peña move into a fulfilling and financially solvent software development career. However, that career did not start with a love of software development or even tech in general. Everything changed for Sara after the pandemic hit, and she realized she needed to move into a career where she could make a difference. Learning with Per Scholas Greater Boston gave her the skills to do just that, and she found herself a member of the institution’s inaugural Software Development cohort. Thanks to her new skills combined with her innate determination, Sara was able to change the course of her life in just a few short months.

Sara’s career started seemingly as far from software development as it’s possible to be. Her background was in music rather than tech, with an education from the prestigious Berklee College of Music. From here, Sara began a career in sales at Bose. The first shift toward the world of tech came after she progressed from Bose to a role at a music software company. Suddenly, Sara was exposed to the world of IT, and her interest was piqued.

However, Sara’s passion for helping others overrode her new-found curiosity about technology. After her stint at the music software company, Sara switched career paths and became a manager at a nonprofit coffee house. This position fulfilled that desire to help others, and Sara became a meaningful part of the Boston community, helping bring people together.

However, once COVID-19 hit, Sara realized she could be doing more. Seeing how drastically the pandemic impacted people, she knew she had to reassess her employment and find a career that could withstand such an event. A friend mentioned that she should look into coding, which reignited Sara’s interest in technology and IT. From here, Sara determinedly began researching different boot camps and courses.

Her research led her to Per Scholas, and she instantly knew she had to apply. By this point, Sara had no income, was on the verge of losing her job, and had an insurmountable amount of debt due to student loans. While some people may have despaired, Sara realized it was time to take control of her career and pivot to technology. About finding Per Scholas, Sara said, “I came across Per Scholas, and I read up on their mission and their offerings, and I thought, like anyone else, this can’t be real.”

Thankfully, the Per Scholas courses are real and have helped thousands of people like Sara move into tech-focused careers. During her admissions process, Sara discovered that the Per Scholas team was supportive and encouraging, constantly yet kindly pushing her to better herself.

She remembers a moment from her admissions interview that surprised her. In that interview, Sara said, “I’m going to pursue this with my whole heart. I am passionate about technology. I know if I don’t get this opportunity with Per Scholas, I am going to make something of it no matter what.” That inspiring statement propelled her throughout her training, even when she felt moments of doubt.

Sara notes that the training was occasionally difficult, and, at times, she even considered quitting. However, she always came back to the idea that she describes here: “Even moments, where I thought, ‘I can’t, I don’t think this is for me, it’s just too much, it’s too hard, it’s overwhelming, am I ever going to get through this?’… and you know I think part of it was just that I remembered in my heart of hearts, this is what I wanted to do and this opportunity was given to me. It was something that I didn’t want to put to waste.” Sara certainly didn’t put her training to waste at all. In fact, eager to capitalize on her new skills, she started interviewing for roles in the tech world as soon as she graduated.

Sara interviewed with her current employer and immediately knew she was following the right path. At this new company, she felt a familiar sense of community, something she had found was standard with software developers and other learners at Per Scholas. Like the supportive team at Per Scholas, her new colleagues were helpful and encouraging.

Sara’s learner mindset and her passion and ambition led her to a new opportunity as a Software Developer. Today, she attributes her success to her positive experiences at Per Scholas. “You can teach someone how to code, but you cannot teach passion or drive, which is what my Per Scholas colleagues and I have.”

With the right support and training, Sara could graduate from Per Scholas Greater Boston and pursue her career in technology with a thriving wage, using her knowledge of software development. Our software engineering training is free to learners, empowering many to make inspiring career changes to roles in technology, just like Sara.