Career Path of a Freelance Software Engineer
Ryan's career path was unconventional, starting with an economics and German degree and subsequent finance internships, before "accidentally stumbling upon coding." This led to a self-taught transition into software engineering, culminating in a freelance role after experiencing burnout from management responsibilities at larger companies.
Career Exploration, Coding, Overcoming Challenges, Career Development, Freelancing
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Ryan Yost
Software Engineer
Freelance/Contractor
University of Michigan
None
Spanish & Other Languages, Economics
Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Honors Student, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. He initially majored in economics and German, later realizing finance wasn't for him.
2. He transitioned into software engineering through self-learning and landed a junior software engineer role after gaining experience.
3. He embraced freelancing after realizing he preferred coding over managerial tasks and sought a company whose product he admired, showcasing proactive career moves.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Did you have any internships or jobs before your current role?
My path isn't exactly typical, but I suspect it's common for many people's career journeys to be unconventional. I majored in economics and German at Michigan.
Throughout college, I pursued finance internships each summer. I enjoyed economics and saw its strong connection to finance, so I focused on that. My internships involved data management, municipal bond analysis, and eventually financial advisory work.
After graduating, my experience was primarily in financial advisory. I took the first job I found in that field, with no prior knowledge of coding. I quickly realized it wasn't the right fit for me, but I wasn't sure what else to pursue.
I accidentally discovered coding and became very interested. I dedicated my free time to teaching myself through online resources, building projects I found engaging and challenging. After about a year and a half of doing this alongside my finance job, I landed my first role as a junior software engineer at a tech company.
I stayed there for about a year and a half before moving to a larger company. I progressed to senior engineer and then team lead. However, I found the work shifted away from coding and towards meetings, interviews, and other tasks that didn't excite me. I also wasn't thrilled with the projects I was working on.
I discovered a company online whose product I used. I reached out and asked if I could work for them. After a trial period, they hired me as a contractor, marking my transition to freelance work as a software engineer, which is what I do today.