Instant Teams

Facebook Live Discussion with Liza Rodewald

Hosted by National Military Family Association (NMFA).View video here.

Liza is Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of MadSkills. She is a software consultant with more than 16 years experience contracting multi-million dollar projects with the government and private sector. An Army spouse with four kids, Liza has worked remotely as a developer and project manager for 13 years.

“If you’re creative. If you’re a problem solver, self-starter, and a self-learner then learning to code and working from home just might be your next big career move.” – Liza Rodewald

Connect with Liza on LinkedIn.

Show Notes:

Careers in technology are a wonderful way to work from home and make a significant income. It’s one of the most portable and profitable careers you can have.
You don’t have to be good at computers to try.
Employers don’t care where you’re located. They just want someone to get the job done.
Most people who work from home are contractors. They are skill-based and paid accordingly.
Remote work opportunities exist for full-time, part-time, contracts, and project based.
Start networking early. Offer to volunteer or intern when you’re just starting out.

3 Key Takeaways:

1. Tech is one of the best spaces to be in for remote, flexible work.
2. $70,000 is the median salary for software developers. There are more jobs than there are developers.
3. Military spouses must be creative. Think outside of the box and create your own opportunities.

Why Learn to Code? (Video Resources):

What Most Schools Don’t Teach – The “superpower” that isn’t being taught in 90% of schools starring Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.
Introduction to Programming – 30-minute presentation by Eli the Computer Guy.

Learn to Code (Online Resources):

lynda.com – Liza’s top pick! Monthly subscription for online courses.
learn.co – Free and paid courses.
CodeAcademy.com – Free courses.
udemy.com – Free and paid courses.
github.com – Books and code downloads.
kahanacademy.org – Videos, classes, and projects. Geared toward kids but a great resource for beginners.

Military Specific Resources:

Onward2Opportunity – Online information technology course for service members, veterans, and their families.
Military Spouse Coders – Teaching military spouses to code for free.
Operation Code – Software mentorship, scholarship programs, and employer services for service members, veterans, and their families.

Scholarships & Internships:

NMFA Spouse Scholarship – $500 – $2,500 scholarships for military spouse career funding, degrees, licensure and entrepreneurs.
NMFA Partnership – $7,500 Scholarship to USC Berkeley School of Information or Master of Science in Data from Southern Methodist University. NMFA membership required.
AngelList – Find a job or internship in tech.