Learning to code so that you can land a job in tech can feel daunting. That’s why we’re sharing inspiring stories from Codecademy’s community — to show how people like you (yes, you!) can embark on a learning journey and end up with a totally new career. We hope these stories serve as a reminder that there’s no single path to a more fulfilling work life.
Today’s story is from Ben Newell, a 37-year-old Technical Program Manager and Founder, living in Blairsville, Georgia. Read more stories from Codecademy learners here — and be sure to share your story here.
Why I chose to learn to code
“I started out in fitness and healthcare like 15 years ago, then I moved into a company called ABC Fitness. I was on a project, and I saw one of the engineers say something like, ‘Oh yeah, we just need to move this comma or this semicolon over and then the bug is fixed.’ And I was like, I need to go sign up for a course. I knew some SQL and stuff for data analytics, but I needed to learn how to engineer. I’m a learner at heart, so I love learning.
I got on Codecademy, and I freaking love the app and the quizzes that you can do. I was trying to learn every day for 100 days in a row. I just started signing up for all the Python, data science, machine learning, courses — anything that would help me in my career at ABC Fitness. I was working with the data engineering and AI teams and becoming more of a Product Manager. I was having to learn outside of work because I wanted to make it my career.”
How I made time to learn
“When I joined the Codecademy AI Bootcamp, I was in the middle of a major career transition — leaving a data leadership role in healthcare, preparing to step into a Technical Program Manager position at iFIT, and scaling my AI fitness startup, ImprvHealth. It was a demanding stretch, but I approached learning the same way I approach training for a marathon or HYROX [fitness] event — with structure, consistency, and intent.
Most of my studying happened early mornings (4 a.m.), and weekends. My wife was a huge support during that time, giving me the space and encouragement to put in the extra hours needed to grow. Without that support, it would’ve been much harder to sustain the pace and focus required. I applied this same focus and structure for self-paced learning as well. I set blocks of time and was fortunate enough to implement what I was learning in my daily routine.”
Why I decided to attend a bootcamp
“I wanted to take my learning to the next level with AI agents. I saw Codecademy’s [bootcamp] and I saw the price. I was like, This is way cheaper; I like the platform and I’ve already done a lot of really good stuff on here. I decided to make an investment and sign up.
One of the main things I wanted to learn from the [bootcamp] course was being able to walk into an interview or talk to a developer and, if they say, ‘How would you design an app from end to end on this piece of paper?’ I want to be able to do that. I want to say, ‘Well, here’s how it would start. Here’s how I would think about it. Here’s what I would try if I hit a pain point or roadblock.’ And that’s what he gave me during the course. [The instructor] taught me RAG, LangChain, the Python libraries — stuff that’s hard for some people to get, but for me, I needed that foundation pounded into me. I wasn’t getting that elsewhere, and I knew it was going to take more of an investment to get something like that.
You can vibe code something, but if you want to go to an interview or talk to people, I think having an understanding of how everything works — from the front to the back to the middle, the integrations and the breaking points — that’s what’s going to get people ahead. I want to be very confident in that because everybody can go use ChatGPT or Cursor to build something. But I want to have domain expertise in how a system can be architected.”
How day one and beyond went
“As [the instructor] Rocky was going through the first couple sessions, I knew what he was talking about. It was a validation that I’m doing the right thing, which helps with impostor syndrome.
Rocky has a good way of teaching. He repeats himself a lot and goes over the system design and architecture. I think that’s hard for some people to get, but for me, I need those reps — just pound that piece into me. I wasn’t getting that elsewhere, and I knew it was going to take more of an investment to get something like that. I’m happy about that, and I told him in the chat: I really appreciate that system design piece, him talking about that over and over again.
I sent [the instructor] a friend request on Discord and he accepted it and responded back really fast. He likes my LinkedIn posts too. That’s part of the bootcamp journey, right? Meeting people and connecting with people. I’ve worked with a lot of developers, so it’s just meeting that one extra person — you never know. You might build a friendship, or he’s going to look at my project and give me some feedback on it, which I’m going to take. My project actually has some clients in the healthcare and fitness space that are interested in it, so getting his feedback from somebody with his skillset is valuable.”
How I’ll use the skills I learned with Codecademy
“The skills I gained from Codecademy reshaped how I build and lead. During the bootcamp, I developed ImprvCare, an AI-powered health navigation app that went on to win 1st place — and that momentum carried into everything I’m doing now.
I’ve applied those same skills to launch ImprvHealth, an AI-driven fitness and health platform now live on the App Store, and to elevate how I bridge AI, data, and engineering strategy at iFIT. My mission is to fuse applied sport science with intelligent systems that help people move better, recover faster, and live stronger.”
Not sure where to start? Check out our personality quiz! We’ll help you find the best programming language to learn based on your strengths and interests.
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