When Shifra Chadad majored in computer programming, she dreamed of landing a lucrative, fulfilling job.
That’s not quite how it panned out.
“For my first two years out of school, I couldn’t find a job in my field,” she admits. “I worked in customer service.”
Finally, after two years of job hunting, Shifra found an entry level job requiring PHP programming.
She was glad to be working in her field, but dismayed to find that she didn’t enjoy the work, and there was little growth potential.
“After two years, I heard about Temech’s Tech Up program, which offered intensive training in Dot Net, a language I wanted to learn.”
Shifra joined the second cohort.
“Computers require hands-on skill,” she relates. “It’s not enough to learn the theory; you need lots of practice to succeed.”
Tech Up was created for the dozens of talented girls who spent hundreds of hours completing a grueling computer program only to discover that companies only want to hire people with experience.
But where do you get that experience?
Tech Up answers that question.
It’s a full-time internship in which girls work on actual programs under the supervision of a talented programmer. Translating the techniques they learned into real-life applications gives them highly marketable skills and their confidence skyrockets.
When Shifra finished the three-month program, she began job-hunting.
“I had so many more opportunities open to me,” she reports. Three months later, she landed a lucrative government job.
But her story doesn’t end there.
Shifra has taken all she’s learned, and chosen to give it back to the place that helped her.
Twice, she’s been a mentor for summer program Temech ran for several years.
“It’s a three-day intensive for charedi girls graduating computer courses. We give them a challenge to work on actual program.”
The classes are divided into groups of ten, each with a mentor, and every girl has a specific task. Bugs are hidden in the program, to ensure that the girls can ferret them out.
“Three days may not sound like a lot,” says Shifra, “but it gives the girls a taste of the work world.
“Even being able to tell a job interviewer that she found a bug in a particular program or did specific coding, is in itself a win.
“Additionally, there are three core elements in the field of computers: client experience (front-end developing), servers (back-end developing), and SQL (Structured Query Language used to manage databases).
“Having some practical experience in these three aspects, and seeing what you shine at, helps the girls get a sense of where they may want to work.”
Shifra found mentoring the girl deeply meaningful, and she also took part in Temech’s Hackathon.
“It starts with a meeting at which the women get a challenge to complete. They discuss it and try to decide on the best way to tackle it.”
A week later, they have a marathon day of 12 hours straight during which they tackle it. Shifra participated twice as a group leader.
“Tmeech makes it a fabulous experience with three beautiful meals, a great setting, and seasoned programmers the girls can consult with.
“At the end of the day, the girls present what they’ve built, and in addition to how they’ve been stretched professionally, the presentation is also a great experience for them.”
Last year, Shifra did the Mitkadmot B’Avodah program, which focuses on how to advance in your job.
“It helped me create an elevator pitch, to sharpen where my skill lie, and strengthened my business knowledge.”
