Apprentices
An Unconventional Path to Becoming a Software Engineer: Shafee’s Story
Team Multiverse
6 May 2022
I was born and raised in Venezuela and in the year 2015, my brother and I made a big leap and moved to the US. I finished my last two years of high school in Miami, FL and once graduation was over, there came the big question: “What now?” College was never something I envisioned for myself; I wanted to go the non-traditional route of finding a professional path that allowed me to feel fulfilled. But, as someone who did not have it figured out at seventeen (at all), I started working in the food service industry for a couple of years, to make ends meet. Then, I found myself working in the realm of event production for different Latinx TV networks where I got the chance to produce many live shows and award ceremonies. During each of these “careers,” the idea of college never became more appealing.
That was until the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and I was put in the situation that so many people faced: unemployment.
An alternative path to my dream job
I was scrolling through TikTok, and I came across a video that featured a person who had broken into the world of tech without a college background and no prior experience. Of course, this caught my eye. Once clicking through their profile, I found Multiverse – a company that empowers young and ambitious people without a traditional education background by hiring and training them for in-demand jobs. This was the beginning of my life changing forever. For the first time, I checked all the boxes. There was no need to go above and beyond for a scholarship, or to fill out an overly complicated application, and I did not have to spend hours doing ten essays explaining why I should be approved into the program – all I had to do was be myself.
In a matter of weeks, I had been interviewed, approved, and placed into an amazing company with an exceptional work culture called Adyen(opens new window).
Adyen is an industry leading company that empowers global payments across the globe and all channels. I am part of the commercial department, meaning I get to speak to a number of midmarket and enterprise companies on a daily basis, provide sales support to account executives and enhance processes within the company. To this day, it’s so crazy to walk into a store and make a purchase knowing that the technology being used to process payments is powered by the company I work in, or the fact that a well-known ride-sharing app also uses Adyen’s solution; seeing the work you do showing in everyday life in such a tangible way feels surreal.
Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be working in the world of fintech. However, my biggest shock was that through the entire process – and thanks to the support that both Multiverse and Adyen provided – I was able to tap into new skills and passions within myself, learn about the technicalities of working in a corporate setting and in the simplest words, grow beyond any limits I could have ever set for myself, both professionally and personally.
Early lessons on an apprenticeship
Now, having shared a bit of my background, here are three of the biggest takeaways I have had throughout my time as an apprentice with Multiverse and Adyen:
- Take advantage of your resources. Imposter Syndrome is THE REAL DEAL, but there are a lot of resources that allowed me to excel in any task or situation. For example, in the Multiverse program, we have a monthly exercise in which we set “areas of focus” for each month. Additionally, a Multiverse coach provides a sense of security, which is key when navigating a whole new world and finding out new parts of the self that I personally had never tapped into (shoutout to my amazing coach, Ifeoma).
- Embrace what makes you, you! Within Adyen, not only am I supported and encouraged by my team leads and colleagues, but celebrated! As a Latinx, queer and proud immigrant, I once believed each of these parts about myself would stop me from growing within my profession and to this day I still get overcome with emotion because the things that I once thought were my weaknesses, turned out to be my greatest strengths. Being able to show up as my most authentic self while being empowered is truly a blessing. Very early on, while going through the hiring process for Adyen, I was given valuable advice by a very special person within the company and it is something I share with many apprentices who are just starting their programs: “to fully own your narrative and where you come from.” It wasn’t until I became more vocal and started sharing my journey that I realized how empowering my story could be and that by sharing it, I could help the next person who would embark on a journey of professional self-discovery. Multiverse and Adyen are places in which I was given a seat at the table. Through the inspiration and guidance of those around me – coaches, mentors, team leads, and coworkers – I can pursue projects of passion within the company such as breathing new life into our Latinx DEI community with the help of other Latinx Adyeners.
- Invest in building your soft skills. Investing time and energy into tapping into those non-technical skills has been key for my growth. Things such as understanding how to build a network, enhance communication and nurture leadership mentality, are skills that I have been able to acquire and improve through every step of my apprenticeship and my time in Adyen. There are going to be limitless resources provided to those who start a program with Multiverse, and being able to make the most out of each of these, in my opinion, is what allows for the experience to get to a whole new level, opening doors to a million opportunities.
My goal with this blog is that by sharing a little insight into what my journey has been, I am able to encourage the next person who has been considering the apprenticeship route. I’m sure every experience will be different, but if there is one thing I can leave you with it is that no matter what your process looks like, your life will be changed, forever and for the better. Every single lesson you learn, every single resource you’re given, and every single person you meet, will be a part of your evolution and in the future, you will always be able to tap into these in order to go far beyond any potential you thought you had. This may be a bit cliche but I can’t think of a better quote to end this paragraph on than, "The possibilities are endless, and the best is yet to come.."
As with any life-defining decision, there may be a lot of questions that may come up. Please know that Multiverse is always there; the sense of having a community continues to be a big part of all the programs. Get in touch, send that email, ask the question, reach out on LinkedIn (here’s mine(opens new window), just in case) and know that you will not be alone in any stage of the process.
Team Multiverse
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