From 0 to Clojure, Career Change With Cat Rivers

Cat Rivers shares her journey from tattooing to software development and back, discussing burnout, coding experiences, and the challenges of career changes.

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Highlights

🎨 Cat Rivers is a tattoo artist and psychologist who briefly ventured into coding.
💻 She experienced burnout while juggling entrepreneurship and sought stability in tech.
🔄 Coding was seen as a potential career change but led to emotional challenges.
📚 She learned JavaScript, TypeScript, and Clojure, noting their complexities.
🤝 Networking helped her land an internship and eventually a job in software development.
🧠 Imposter syndrome and communication barriers are common in tech environments.
🦆 Cat returned to tattooing, emphasizing the need for creative fulfillment.

Key Insights

🌟 Career Evolution: Cat’s path illustrates how career changes can stem from personal crises, showing the importance of self-awareness in career decisions.
🔍 Burnout Awareness: Her experience highlights the need for recognizing burnout signals and exploring alternative paths for rejuvenation.
📈 Learning Curve: Transitioning to coding requires patience and resourcefulness, especially with languages like Clojure, which lacks beginner-friendly resources.
🗣️ Communication in Tech: Effective communication is crucial in tech, and mentoring can help bridge gaps for newcomers facing imposter syndrome.
🤔 Role of Networking: Cat’s proactive networking approach exemplifies how connections can lead to opportunities in competitive fields.
🛠️ Technical vs. Emotional Skills: Success in tech involves balancing technical skills with emotional intelligence and interpersonal communication.
🎉 Creative Fulfillment: Returning to tattooing signifies the importance of pursuing passions and creative outlets for overa