Maria Sanli spent years being the "obedient daughter" by following a traditional career path in her culture, translating documents and serving her community as a teacher—a role she had envisioned for herself since she was a young girl. As a first-generation Afghan-American woman, Maria wanted more than just the typical career; she wanted a career that would motivate and empower her. After seeing the men in her family succeed in tech, she decided it was time to claim her own seat at the table.
In her final semester at Stony Brook University, Maria’s drive to start a career in tech kicked into high gear. In a class called Structures of Uncommonly Taught Languages, Maria spent her time collecting and analyzing data for an endangered language called Tati. From using software to analyze vowels and consonants to writing a thesis comparing languages, Maria felt a new sense of agency. "I felt powerful and capable of so much more than I thought," she recalls. It was during this time that her professor, Neda Taherkhani—an NSS alumna herself—encouraged Maria to look into Nashville Software School.
"At first I thought it was impossible and ridiculous," Maria admits, "but she gave me a 'why not.' And from that moment, I thought, 'Who says I can't?'".
Maria chose to pursue software development at Nashville Software School in part-time cohort E25. The transition into a fast-paced bootcamp was not without its hurdles. Maria remembers being "super intimidated" and frustrated when she didn't understand the complex concepts immediately. However, she quickly realized that the technical skills were only half the battle; the other half was personal growth.
Looking back, Maria views her initial anxiety as a stepping stone. "I almost want to say it was silly for the amount of worry I put on myself for something that is so small and irrelevant now," she reflects.
After graduation, Maria took a month off to go on vacation with her family—a clarifying break after a year in the trenches of bootcamp. When she returned, she dove into the job search. "I started out cold applying only—for months," she explains. When that wasn’t gaining traction, she immersed herself into the world of software development. She began attending meet-ups and conferences like the NYC Tech Expo and joined communities like Dallas Software Developers. She followed tech creators on social media from all over the world to make her social feeds tech centric. “On my drives, I listened to The Programming Podcast which allowed me to listen in on conversations to feel like I was a part of a senior-level conversation—even if I didn’t fully understand it yet,” she shares. She even took on an internship at Windless Technologies to keep her skills sharp.
Maria stresses the importance of stepping out of your comfort zone: "Ask someone for a 15-minute coffee chat online. I came out of my shell and started messaging people on LinkedIn." While there were low moments where she wanted to give up, she prioritized her mental health by attending therapy, painting, and taking time away from the screen when needed.
Today, Maria is a junior software developer working on a team of all women at Advanced Financial. She spends her days tackling development tickets, joining technical meetings, and collaborating on her team’s codebase. NSS prepared her for this by simulating a real-world team environment, including the use of Slack for communication and agile-style task organization. Even as a professional, she continues to embrace the learning process. "I still have imposter syndrome," she admits. "I'm currently learning new things at my job... but I just have to remember I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be."
For those who are where she once was—nervous about taking that first step—Maria emphasizes the importance of community and self-worth, particularly for women and people of color.
"Believe in yourself like you admire in someone else," she encourages. "I went into my last interviews with the mindset of seeing myself as an asset. I told myself that I know my worth, and asked questions to make sure the environment I'm going to be in and the people I'm going to be working with 'see' me. And they do."
Are you ready to start your own "why not" chapter? We’re here to help you bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Join us for our next Web & Software Development Info Session to explore our programs and meet our community.