From fast food worker to cybersecurity engineer with Tae'lur Alexis [Podcast #169]
551On this week's episode of the podcast, freeCodeCamp founder Quincy Larson interviews Tae'lur Alexis. She's a developer and security analyst. Instead of going to college, Tae'lur spent years working various fast food and retail jobs.
Tae'lur taught herself Python and JavaScript using freeCodeCamp and worked as a software engineer for 5 years before specializing in security engineering. Now instead of building applications, she breaks them.
We talk about:
Making ends meet working McDonalds in Florida
How she taught herself programming using freeCodeCamp and the #100DaysOfCode challenge
Leveraging local meetups to make developer friends
Moving to Thailand and working remotely
Support for this podcast comes from a grant from Wix Studio. Wix Studio provides developers tools to rapidly build websites with everything out-of-the-box, then extend, replace, and break boundaries with code. Learn more at https://wixstudio.com/.
Support also comes from the 11,384 kind folks who support freeCodeCamp through a monthly donation. You can join these chill human beings and help our charity's mission by going to donate.freecodecamp.org
Links we talk about during our conversation:
Tae'lur's website and blog articles: https://taeluralexis.com/
Tae'lur's YouTube channel about working remotely in Bangkok: / @taeluralexis
Tae'lur on Twitter: https://x.com/TaelurAlexis
Chapters
0:00:00 Teaser
0:00:38 Podcast Intro and Song - Astyanax
0:02:49 Introduction to Security Engineering
0:05:51 The Importance of Security in Startups
0:08:50 Tae'lur's Journey into Coding
0:11:51 Overcoming Challenges in Learning to Code
0:14:56 Building a Supportive Community
0:17:37 First Steps into Software Development
0:20:48 Transitioning to a New Job in Seattle
0:23:49 Adjusting to the Software Development Environment
0:30:41 Navigating the Tech Team Dynamics
0:33:29 Overcoming Workplace Challenges
0:37:27 Building Communication Skills
0:40:15 Transitioning from Job Loss to Freelancing
0:42:49 Exploring the Freelance World
0:48:13 Diving into Cybersecurity
0:55:18 Understanding Security Threats and Defense
0:56:17 Securing Applications Against Threats
0:58:10 The Journey into Cybersecurity
1:00:18 Bug Bounty Hunting and Entry-Level Roles
1:02:49 Understanding CVEs and Their Importance
1:06:00 Living Abroad: The Move to Thailand
1:09:51 Cultural Immersion and Personal Growth
1:12:03 Planning for an International Move
1:15:11 Setting and Achieving Goals
1:17:50 Balancing Humility and Confidence