Meet Trang Tran, Junior Software Engineer
In 2020, freelance journalist Trang Tran arrived in Sweden with no programming experience. When she joined a web development bootcamp, it opened a whole new world. “I was blown away when I realized the incredible possibilities that come with coding,” Trang says.
Current role: Junior Software Engineer
Previous employment: Freelance journalist and HR-related jobs
The best thing about my job: To work in a team with amazing, knowledgeable colleagues.
What I do and how I got here
Trang had always felt like an outsider in the world of technology, but many of her friends worked for technology startups. Their discussions sparked her curiosity. So much so, that she signed up for a bootcamp promising to turn complete novices into full-blown web developers in only 22 weeks.
“After the first month of the course I was completely hooked, since I realized that programming allowed me to create useful and fun things. Two months after graduating I got my first job in technology, as a Junior Software Engineer at Atlas Copco.”
This job involves coding in HTML, CSS and JavaScript to create great user experiences on websites and in apps. What the user sees is what Trang and her colleagues have coded. The work also involves combining coding principles with graphic design. All in all, it requires quite a bit of teamwork.
“While my work in communications mostly involved focused writing by myself, the work here is the perfect combination of individual coding and teamwork with my colleagues.”
My advice is that if you, like me, think you're not a good fit on paper – think again!
A typical day at work
A typical day starts with a meeting where everyone in the software team shares what they did yesterday and their plans for the day. Bugs must be fixed and new functions created on various platforms. The fact that colleagues share their conundrums and solutions gives a junior coder like Trang a chance to constantly learn new things.
"Who would have thought that I would become so interested in technical problem solving? It has almost become an addiction. I can't give up until I really understand what's not working."
To keep up with the ever-changing world of coding, Trang does a lot of self-studying, mainly through YouTube and online courses. Her future dreams involve immersing herself in different frameworks and languages for web development, as well as sharpening her skills related to testing tools and software architecture.
My advice
“There are so many options for us as employees these days, but those applying to Atlas Copco have truly made a long-term, smart choice. Here, one works efficiently but without rushing, to get things right the first time around – making things much easier for new hires. There's a big world to discover here at Atlas. So my advice is that if you, like me, think you're not a good fit on paper – think again! Here, people are interested in candidates from other countries and with unusual career backgrounds. Switching careers and coming here is one of the best decisions I've made.”
