Promineo: Linda Forlizzi

Linda Forlizzi is a career changer who, fueled by a desire to make the most of her extra time, stumbled into learning to code. Linda completed the front-end and back-end bootcamps here at Promineo Tech via Nashua Community College. She’s currently building an app called “What’s In My Freezer?” which—you guessed it—helps you keep tabs on what you’ve got in cold storage!

Language and technology love leads to code

“I originally went online trying to learn Spanish and I ended up learning JavaScript,” said Linda. A lover of languages, she discovered the language of code.

Linda Forlizzi, a mother and grandmother based in Manchester, New Hampshire, has borne witness to many changes in the world of technology—and she’s made sure to keep up with it.

“In 1983, I bought an Apple IIe. I used it for typing and taught my kids to type on it—they all learned how to type long before there were keyboards in school!” Linda said. 

“I was always that person who did the tech stuff and got excited by just fixing and connecting things. If I were younger and this career path had been available to me like it is now, it’s the way I would’ve gone. But ‘tech’ was just starting to show up in homes.”

A self-guided learning and networking journey

Flash forward to 2019, Linda began her coding education journey with The Odin Project, where she found a supportive online community. Later, she took on the challenge of applying to the Udacity Front End Nanodegree program, facing a competitive process. With around 50,000 applicants, only a fraction were selected to proceed. But Linda not only successfully completed the challenge, she also landed a Google Grow With Us Scholarship.

Unfortunately (or, fortunately), while learning to code in her free time, she was laid off from her healthcare job. While a career-change was already at the front of her mind, this fateful event gave her the push to make the courageous move. 

Linda began attending tech meetups locally—facing her initial fears around networking in-person—and as fate would have it, she got to know Renée Dubuc, a Promineo Tech alumna. 

“Renée is truly an impressive alumna. She’s done both the front-end and back-end bootcamps as well. She had just finished the back-end bootcamp when we met, and I had been considering a bootcamp, but I thought they were all so expensive,” said Linda.

The benefits of Promineo Tech programs

Linda’s self-taught coding journey took a crucial turn when she discovered Promineo Tech. Despite having considered other bootcamps, the affordability of Promineo Tech’s programs and positive review from fellow alumna, Renée, convinced her to take the leap. Similar to Renée, she opted for both front-end and back-end bootcamps, showcasing her commitment to mastering a full-stack skill set.

Upon enrolling in Promineo Tech, Linda recognized the value of mentorship and the ability to interact with actual people, a feature lacking in her previous online cohorts. Overall, Linda appreciates the school’s responsiveness to student needs after being part of the community for two years.

Linda also appreciates the access to various instructional resources at Promineo Tech, especially the option to explore different instructors. She found value in listening to multiple instructors for the same content, identifying one whose teaching style resonated with her. This approach allowed her to overcome challenges and gain a more comprehensive understanding of the material, emphasizing the importance of diverse instructional approaches in education.

She took the front-end course, took a few months in between, started the back-end course, and finished that a year ago. Then, through another connection at a meetup, Linda was able to get an internship this past spring at a company that’s never had a bootcamp person before.

Linda has also found Promineo Tech career services to be helpful in her job search.

“I love the career services. I think that Jenn Best has done a fabulous job with giving me every tool available to support my search. She’s given me as many opportunities to learn as possible. I really appreciate Jenn’s level of professionalism and the experience that she brings. She’s continually upping her game.”

Continually evolving & growing

Along the way, networking has continued to be beneficial for Linda. “I met a woman at a Tech Women’s Alliance here in New Hampshire and she took an opportunity to look at my LinkedIn. She said she didn’t love my bio. Previously I had been using that space to explain why my healthcare career is applicable to software development, but she recommended that instead, I talk about a project I’m working on.”

Linda had her projects from the bootcamp to speak to, but she was no longer feeling passionate about those, and it showed when she tried to write about them. So she took this as an opportunity to begin a new project. That’s how her app, “What’s In My Freezer?” was born.

“This app is uniquely necessary for me. I have no idea what’s in my freezer,” said Linda.

The app, designed to help organize freezer contents, allows users to add categories such as fruit, vegetables, and meat, along with specific items, quantities, dates, and optional notes. While still a work in progress, the app aims to provide a solution to the common problem of forgetting what’s hiding in the back of the freezer. 

Feeling inspired by Linda’s story? Explore how you can pave your own path to a rewarding tech career with available programs at Promineo Tech.