Recently, the first graduating class of Depot/U left the confines of Innovation Depot to return to their previous employers, start new careers or search for their next opportunities. TechBirmingham decided to catch up with a few of these graduates and see what they are doing after Depot/U.
Our next profile is on Steve Sartino. Hi Steve! Tell us where you’re from.
I’m a Birmingham native.
Where did you work before Depot/U?
I worked in the digital graphics and HVAC fields.
Where are you working now or are you looking for a job?
I am currently looking for a job.
Do you have a college degree? What school did you attend?
Yes. I have a B.S. in Finance/Accounting from UAB.
How did you find out about Depot/U?
I saw a Birmingham News article on the program back in June.
Tell us how you came about the decision to attend Depot/U?
I have been toying around with the notion of becoming a developer for the past 3 years. I have several friends who code, including one who went back to UAB and graduated with a C.S. degree. He landed a great position at a large company in-town and the more we talked about coding, the more my curiosity was piqued. One night I sat at my laptop and started a codecademy.com tutorial and I was hooked! I thought about going back to UAB or a faster track like a tech school, but it didn’t feel right to me. When I read the article in the Birmingham News about the bootcamp, I thought ‘This could be my ticket!’.
What was your favorite part about the program?
I actually had a love/hate relationship with the fast pace of material.
Now that you’ve graduated, what’s next for you?
I am currently looking for a job using the skills I learned from the program.
Tell us something interesting about yourself unrelated to Depot/U and your career.
I enjoy meditation, yoga, climbing, hiking & soccer.
Anything else about you or your experience in Depot/U you’d like to share?
I met some really cool people in the class!
Thank you, Steve. Best of luck with your career!
View more blog posts by visiting TechBirmingham's full blog.
