On this episode we chat with Torrance Evans, a software engineer at JP Morgan with an unconventional path. He earned a business administration degree on a basketball scholarship and has entrepreneurial experience in real estate, car rentals, and Airbnb.
Torrance started coding through self-teaching and later joined a sponsored program covering his tuition. He's actively involved in the community, leading the Atlanta chapter of Black Boys Code, a nonprofit teaching African American boys coding and tech opportunities.
Torrance also serves on the board of directors for the Atlanta chapter of Blacks in Technology. He builds community through his email list, sharing weekly networking events in Atlanta for tech professionals seeking career pivots, networking, or employment.
RESOURCES
Free Code Camp: https://www.freecodecamp.org/
LinkedIn Interviews: https://www.linkedin.com/advice/3/how-do-you-overcome-common-online-interview-challenges
Codecademy: https://www.codecademy.com/
Educative: https://www.educative.io/
Microsoft LEAP: https://leap.microsoft.com/en-US/
JP Morgan ETSE: https://careers.jpmorgan.com/global/en/students/programs/emerging-talent-software-engineers-fulltime
π CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIALS π
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juwonthetechie/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JuwonTheTechie
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@juwonthetechie
IG: https://www.instagram.com/juwonthetechie/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juwon-io/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@juwonthetechie
CONNECT WITH TORRANCE
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torranceevans/
CHAPTERS
0:00 - Intro
1:55 - Community Work
4:00 - Learning Programming
5:50 - Building Connections
7:50 - Breaking into Tech
10:10 - Picking a Path into Programming
11:55 - Salary Progression
14:30 - Benefits of Joining Communities
17:30 - Learning and Doing
19:40 - Dealing with the Difficulties
23:25 - Combining your Talents
25:12 - Getting More Black People in Tech
30:42 - Resources
34:30 - Knowing When to Apply
41:00 - Learning on Your Own
51:45 - Picking a Good Bootcamp
56:23 - Job Security
59:25 - Certifications
1:04:25 - Final Words