From Sales to Tech: How Sheldon Kinsler Found a New Career and Community

Is work worth it? Even if we don’t directly ask ourselves this question every morning, we still implicitly engage in its calculus. Each time we punch in, sign on, or just walk through the office’s front door, we implicitly agree that yes, the job we signed up for is worth it.

But what if you find yourself questioning this agreement? What if one day, you realize you need a change?

You might end up in a situation like the one Sheldon Kinsler found himself in. And you can make the switch to tech just like he did: by joining TripleTen.

Not sold on his previous career

“Worth it” means different things to different people. For example, maybe your job isn’t paying the most, but you like what you’re doing, and you like who you’re working with. Sadly, none of these boxes were checked for Sheldon, who found himself becoming unsatisfied with his job in sales_{I Work In Sales - Is It Possible for Me to Break Into Tech?}. 

The inconsistent paycheck was the first sign for him that something was off. “Sales is 100% commission-based. So some months are really great. Some months, you really wonder if you have a job. You can't really predict the future for that,” he said.

He also didn’t feel at home in the sales community. For him, there was a barrier, something keeping him from truly finding connections among his colleagues. “Salespeople,” he said, “Just want to be on your good side.”

So he started looking for something new. He had familiarity with the tools he was using to track sales data, and he saw how impactful the people building these solutions could be. “They do important work that no one really appreciates,” he said. “And so once I started to figure that out, I thought, ‘Why not look into that and see what it's all about?’” 

He liked what he discovered.

These people actually make a consistent paycheck, and they have good benefits. Sheldon Kinsler, TripleTen grad

So when a TripleTen ad came up as he was scrolling through Instagram, he was intrigued. “It just seemed really cool. They said that I could learn all these things without having any prior experience.”

He was thorough, though, so the next day he reached out to his cousin, a software developer. “He gave me a rundown of everything he does. He makes a lot of money — I didn't know tech made that much — and he enjoys what he does.”

A week later, he decided to go for it.

Discovering community and a new profession

Initially, after taking TripleTen’s career quiz, Sheldon thought he’d go for the Quality Assurance Bootcamp because he thought it was a good match for how meticulous he is. However, when he scheduled a call with an advisor, he found a new path to take. 

“She suggested that I look into Business Intelligence Analytics because I like the business side and have a sales background.” He followed her advice, and realized this was the career for him. “I looked into that and just said, ‘Yeah, that sounds cool.’”

As he started the Business Intelligence Analytics program, he had some worries. “I was really nervous going in because I thought it'd just be like a whole bunch of code from day one.” 

But once he got used to the bootcamp, he found that by sticking to a consistent schedule, he was able to keep up. He even started looking forward to learning. “I pretty much would put in like, a couple of hours every night getting it done because I started enjoying doing it.”

Of course, he still encountered places he needed clarification and assistance. But he knew he could find the help he needed.

I was able to get through it just thanks to the tutors and the community. Everyone's super helpful and will answer pretty much any question you have. Sheldon Kinsler, TripleTen grad

And when he got the code working, his satisfaction was potent. “It's the coolest feeling ever. I’d just stand up in my room and cheer.” He wouldn’t keep this win to himself, either.

“If I would get an assignment correct or one of my pieces of code would go through, I would actually take a screenshot of it and share it with the community or share it with my success manager. Like, ‘Guys! look at this! This is awesome!’ And pretty much everyone would be like ‘Yo, that's so sick!’”

He’d found his new path. He’d found a group of people he could share his wins with. Now it was all about landing the job he’d been aiming for. 

It didn’t take long.

Getting embedded in the right job

In fact, Sheldon landed a job before he even graduated. During his time at TripleTen, he had been sharing his accomplishments on social media, and this got him noticed. A connection on LinkedIn reached out to wish him a happy birthday, and they got to talking. 

It turned out he was the head of a business intelligence department. He’d seen what Sheldon had been posting and was impressed. He said they weren’t hiring at the time, but that he’d keep Sheldon in mind.

“Two days after that, he said, ‘Okay, you're not going to believe this, but the guy under me just resigned. And we're looking to fill this position. Would you be interested in coming in for an interview?’” recalls Sheldon.

Naturally, he went for it. But the interview process wasn’t what he thought it’d be. “There weren't actually many technical questions, as I would expect. A lot of it was like, ‘How do you approach business?’ or like, ‘What do you know about business?’ or ‘How would you interact with a team?’”

Thanks to his time at TripleTen, he aced the interview. Upon reflection, he sees just how important the soft skills_{Why are soft skills important?} he acquired at the bootcamp were for this process.

The non-technical parts of the job, I'd say those are some of the best things that I learned. They helped me land a job. Sheldon Kinsler, TripleTen grad

It was a case of diligence paying off. On the same day that he submitted his final project for the bootcamp, he got an offer. “Both things happened at the same time, which was cool.”

Now, he’s a Business Data Analyst at RCM&D, an insurance brokerage company. He works remotely most of the time, occasionally coming in to shadow his direct supervisor for training. “A day in the life since I’ve gotten this job in tech — it’s really nice.”

His paycheck has doubled, and he’s found his community. “I get to celebrate all the wins with my team. When the person who’s training me, someone who’s been doing this for 10 years, gets a piece of code right, he still fist bumps me, saying, ‘Heck yeah. Score one for the data team.’”

Find your professional community

If you’re also looking for more out of your career, then a bootcamp might be right for you. Hear more from our graduates in their own words in our podcast.