Paul: Aidan and I first connected after she graduated from Le Wagon's coding bootcamp in 2021.
Our conversation today covers a wide range of topics, from her time at university spent studying archaeology and anthropology, to working in Asia as a teacher, pivoting to a career in software engineering, job hunting, volunteering, and much more.
Hi Aidan. It’s nice to catch up with you again. To get started, please tell us a little about yourself.
Aidan: Hello! I’m Aidan, a Canadian who has been living in Japan for the past 4 (almost 5!) years. I came to Japan as an English teacher but soon realized that my passion is in web development.
We have several interesting topics I want to cover with you today, but let’s start off with your time at university. You studied biological anthropology and archaeology in your hometown at the University of Toronto. What kind of career were you interested in? It sounds very “Indiana Jones” to me!
I can’t deny that the idea of me being the next Indiana Jones did cross my mind when I chose these majors! Over time, I discovered that I was very interested in forensic anthropology and could imagine one day working in a lab. Between my third and fourth years, I was privileged to take part in shíshálh Archaeological Research Project (SARP), a partnership between my school and the shíshálh First Nation near Sechelt, British Columbia.
During this program, we excavated a recently discovered site, learned about shíshálh history, and did community outreach events. I learned that these kinds of programs, when done in collaboration with First Nations communities, could benefit these communities by revealing their connection to the land, both spiritually and legally. I really liked the idea of using my skills and passion to make a meaningful impact on communities in Canada.
After graduation in 2016, you spent some time teaching English and Science in China. How did you end up there?
Picture me in the summer of 2016: recently graduated from a top university with honours, kind of burnt out, $50k in debt, and working in a dive bar. My job prospects in the field of anthropology/archaeology were limited unless I furthered my education beyond a bachelor’s, but the thought of returning to school and digging myself even further into debt was overwhelming.
I decided to take a “little break” from academics and see what other career opportunities were out there. Teaching abroad had always been on my radar, and I started applying for teaching jobs in China. Why China? I grew up close to Chinatown in Toronto and I thought that living in China would feel familiar enough to home while also providing me with a great opportunity to experience and learn more about another culture. I eventually accepted a job offer in Qingdao, a city known for its interesting history, great beaches, and being the origin of Tsingtao beer. My first year working in China was tough – I wasn’t at a very good job, and of course, there was homesickness. But I came into my own in my second year – I had a great job and had found a wonderful little community within a big city.
You then came to Japan and began teaching at the Canadian International School in Tokyo. Why the move here?
It was a great opportunity that I just couldn’t turn down! At this point, I thought I could see myself settling down into a career as an educator. I didn’t have the passion for it that I saw in some of my coworkers, but I was proud of the work I was doing and the impact I made on students’ lives.
How did you get interested in changing your career towards IT?
Coding had been an enjoyable hobby of mine for years at this point, but I never really considered it as a career option for myself. I thought I had missed this opportunity since I hadn’t studied computer science in university. Then the pandemic hit, and I began teaching from home. I suddenly had a lot more time to spend on my hobbies, including coding! The more time I spent studying online, the more aware I became that it wasn’t ‘too late’ for me to pursue a career in IT. I joined online study groups on Discord and Slack and began seriously considering joining a bootcamp.
Something else I don’t mention often – I was going through a serious depression at this point in time. Being able to teach from home led me to realize that I was a lot happier not being in a classroom, despite having lovely students and coworkers. I realized that a lot of my unhappiness stemmed from feeling like I was stuck in a career that did not excite me and did not encourage me to better myself or improve my skills. I felt stagnant.
You studied at the Le Wagon coding bootcamp in 2021, taking their part-time Fullstack Web Developer course. What was that experience like? The bootcamp is pretty intense, and you were working full-time.
Intense is the right word! Exhausting also comes to mind. But I was also the happiest I’d been in a very long time. It was exciting to learn so many new things, and to be challenged to think in new ways. The teachers at Le Wagon are fantastic, inspiring people, and so were my classmates. It was a relief to meet other individuals who were trying to transition into IT from an unrelated field and made this dream seem less impossible.
Tell us a little bit about your experience job hunting since the bootcamp. It’s pretty tough to find entry-level development roles in Japan.
It’s true what they say – the hardest part of the bootcamp comes after graduation. I continued to work full-time as a teacher while I began job hunting, and it was hard to juggle that along with interviews, studying, studying for interviews, etc. Eventually, I left that job and found a healthier way to balance my time, but the job search has continued to be difficult. I still haven’t landed my first full-time role in web development, although I have been freelancing on the side while I continue my search.
If you weren’t busy enough already, you’re an active volunteer for both Women Who Code Tokyo (WWCode Tokyo) and the Japan Cat Network (JCN). Tell us about both organizations and how you’re involved with them.
Women Who Code Tokyo is part of a global organization that works towards the goal of empowering women in tech through workshops events, scholarships and programs, and networking.
I began participating in WWCode Tokyo online study sessions about a year ago, shortly after I left my full-time teaching job. I was feeling a little lost, as most of my former classmates at Le Wagon had either found a new job in IT or moved on to other goals by this point. Attending the bi-weekly WWCode study sessions added some consistency to my suddenly very open schedule, and I felt more motivated to study and build when I had a supportive group of people to share my progress with. Eventually, the opportunity arose to host one of these study groups, and now I regularly volunteer with this event. In fact, I was recently invited to become a Lead with WWCode Tokyo, and I’m very excited to have an even more active role in this community and our events coming up later this year.
Japan Cat Network was founded in 2000 by an ex-pat couple who wanted to support and promote TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) programs in communities across Japan. The organization currently has two shelters in Tokyo and Kyoto, where cats can receive extra care and attention with the ultimate goal of being adopted into a loving home.
I’ve been a weekly volunteer for JCN for the past two years. This means I’ll spend a few hours a week at their Tokyo shelter, taking care of tasks such as feeding, cleaning, and of course playing with the cats. I’m also available in case of emergencies. I’m a bit of a crazy cat lady, which can be a difficult role to maintain when living in a typical Tokyo shoebox apartment. Volunteering with JCN has been the perfect solution – I get to hang out with a bunch of cats every week, and I’m helping my community in the process. I now have my own cat (Tanuki-chan) at home, but I continue to volunteer at the shelter. I’m really living the crazy cat lady dream!
What does your typical day look like?
Typically my mornings look like this: wake up, check emails and LinkedIn, try to apply to at least one job, and then go to my part-time job as an IT teacher for children.
Once I‘m back home, my evenings are usually filled with coding (either freelance work or for personal projects), studying Japanese, or attending events. Somewhere in my schedule, I try to find time for exercising or relaxing, but this doesn’t happen as often as it should!
Along with the Study Sessions I cohost, I also like to attend WWCode Tokyo’s Creative Coding online events. They’re always on a really interesting topic and I often find new resources to utilize in my projects later. I’ve also been attending Tokyo Tech Meetup every time it comes around (about once a season). It’s a great way to get to know more people in the tech community in Toyko. It’s been nice to see more in-person events coming up this year!
What are some of your goals for the future?
Short-term, I want to get my first full-time role in front-end web development. This is the first step in my long-term goal of having a career in IT. I’ve finally found a career that excites me and inspires me to keep building my skills, and I’m not going to give up on it just because it’s been a long road to landing my first job.
And on a personal level, I’d love to make enough money to support/spoil my family back home. My mother raised me and my older sister by herself with no child support and money was always tight. It’s a dream of mine to buy a piece of land for my mom outside of the city where she can open a cat shelter (she is, after all, the OG crazy cat lady).
Quickfire questions
– what’s the most important piece of advice you’d give yourself if you could go back in time to your arrival in Japan?
Study Japanese! As soon as you land! Even if you’re tired after your new full-time job, even if it isn’t required for this job and doesn’t seem like a priority at the moment. I would have been in such a better position when I started looking for my first job in IT if I already had a good foundation of Japanese ability. Now I’m trying to fit studying Japanese into a schedule that is already busy with job hunting and coding, and it’s taking much longer to improve.
– what advice would you give to someone considering pivoting their career from one field to another, as you did from teaching to software engineering?
Consistency is key! Try to work towards your goal a little bit each day, whether that means networking or skill-building. But especially with skills! Even if I take just one week off of coding, I start to feel rusty.
Also, don’t dismiss the importance of community. I might have given up long ago if I hadn’t been lucky to find friendships and a wonderful support network through Women Who Code and Le Wagon.
– how do you learn new skills and what are you learning currently?
I like to learn new skills with a goal in mind (“I want to build ____, so I need to learn _____ .”). It keeps me motivated and focused on the important stuff.
For example, I’ve had this idea for a mobile travel app in my mind since Le Wagon days, so I’m currently learning React Native so I can build a native mobile app. I start by reading through the docs and then watch tutorials of what other people have built. If there’s an interesting course related to what I’m learning, I’ll also check that out (such as Bob Ziroll’s React.js course on Scrimba). Once I feel like I’ve picked up the necessary skills, I try to build my goal app!
– tell me a few of your favourite or most recently read books, movies, podcasts, and games?
My all-time favourite book series is The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan [Amazon], and I enjoyed the show adaptation that came out on Amazon Prime last year.
I really like slow-paced ‘cozy’ games, such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons and The Sims. I’m embarrassed to admit the hours I’ve put into those two, but easily 500+ each. In January, a remake of one of my favourite farming sims games came out, Harvest Moon (now Story of Seasons): A Wonderful Life. It’s only available in Japanese right now, so it’s been a great way for me to practice my reading skills.
– what’s your favourite place to visit in Japan?
Anywhere with Fuji-san in the background! It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve seen it, Mt. Fuji will always take my breath away. Maybe it’s because I grew up in southern Ontario, where there are absolutely zero mountains.
– what’s the best thing you’ve spent 10,000 JPY on in Japan?
My mamachari bicycle! It was 7,500 yen because I bought it from someone at a sayonara sale. It’s not meant for any serious road-tripping, but it’s perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon meandering through small streets.
And a perfect place to finish our conversation. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today, Aidan!
Are you looking for a talented frontend engineer with great people skills? If so, why not reach out to Aidan directly to discuss your role. You can reach her via her portfolio, GitHub, or LinkedIn.
Looking for a new IT job in Japan? Check out my job board. Hiring? Get in touch and let’s see how I can help.
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