Kadri Järvpõld is a History graduate from Estonia. Back in 2014, following a year of voluntary work in Germany, she decided to move to Portugal, where she discovered the gaming and esports industry. Fast forward to today, Kadri has continued to progress and established a career for herself, currently working as an Esports Manager in Lisbon. It’s a career that can be demanding, but one she enjoys, and has also led her to discovering and developing an interest in web development and technical coding. Kadri decided to explore opportunities and study for a qualification alongside her job. She chose the Wild Code School’s, five-month part-time remote, front-end website development course that started on 20 April. Here she discusses learning in lockdown, juggling the course with a full-time job and the world of esports.
What made you look into coding and development training?
One of the first client projects I led in my current role was creating a service for gamers which enabled them to connect at local events. So, you can go to a local bar or café and organise a gaming event with other players in your area. We created this from the ground up – the idea, service, platform, building the website – it was a huge project.
Working closely with the website developers was a great experience. It involved using agile working methods, regular collaboration, design discussions, user stories, testing; all of which I really enjoyed. To be honest, the technical stuff was new to me, but it was really interesting and something I was keen to know more about and explore. From there I started looking into the possibilities of training, specifically a course I could do part-time alongside my job.
Why did you choose Wild Code School?
I really took my time to assess my options and read a lot of reviews. I also had to consider the costs involved, as some of the courses require considerable investment. Then I found Wild Code School online and saw that they did a part-time course that was affordable, and looked like a great fit.
How are you finding the course so far, and how are you finding fully-remote learning?
It’s going very well so far and I’m finding it very practical. The teachers are very friendly and on hand to help; they really make time for you if you need support. The class is very diverse, with students from all over Europe, and we use a range of platforms and communications tools that manage discussions and course content well.
I really enjoy the process of building things, such as a website or application, seeing how you can manipulate code and physically create digital elements. So far, I’m very happy that I made the right decision.
Has it been difficult to manage the course alongside your full-time job?
My job can be stressful at times, because everything happens in real time and you have to react immediately. But at the same time, there are also times where you can take the time to review how different elements are working, creating new strategies and projects to work on.
There are times when I have to be available to work evenings or weekends too. At the beginning of the global lockdown, for example, work was extremely busy as there was a big spike in players organising tournaments and competitions within the esports and gaming world. But, overall I’m lucky that I have a flexible working schedule, where I can take time to prepare for my Wild Code School classes and fit studying around work.
What are your hopes for your future and career progression?
Gaining experience within coding and web development will be my next main goal. One of the main things that attracted me to the course, in addition to acquiring new skills, was the freedom and flexibility of the industry. I believe the industry has a wealth of opportunities and I’m very motivated and committed to exploring them to the benefit of my future.
Join Kadri and check out our Remote Front-End Part-Time Course! What are you waiting for?
