A former Data Analyst reflects on her transformative experience in the Dwarves Apprenticeship Program, where supportive mentorship and challenging projects enabled her transition to Backend Engineering, emphasizing how being treated as a peer rather than just a mentee created opportunities to explore new technologies and grow beyond her initial expectations.
For me, Dwarves Foundation Apprenticeship has surpassed a traditional training program concept. It's been a huge shift: A supportive team that embraces me for who I am and unlocks my capabilities to grow in ways I never imagined.
When I first joined, I expected the program would be a stepping stone to reinforcing my software development skillset. As the agenda covers project work in different fields, I thought it would provide specific working processes for each project type and teach me how to improve team collaboration.
I'm working alongside Huy Nguyen on a web3 project for Console Labs. The real challenge kicked in when I faced new programming techniques, learned to understand the prebuilt source code, and figured out my solution approach. It's brand new territory, and I'm lucky to have all the backup needed, especially from Huy Nguyen and Khoi Ngo, for their detailed reviews, feedback, and guidelines.
I spent 2 years in Data Science before this. I expected this program would advance my skills and turn me into a better Data Scientist. But the practical side of the Apprenticeship called for interaction with other roles as a team. Working alongside Backend Engineers led to many exciting fields: Database solutions, algorithms, logic design, and more. New opportunities opened up, and going from Data to Backend seemed like a promising decision.
It was indeed a hard transition. I didn't have much experience in software programming, let alone Golang. The progress was slow since I had to consolidate different knowledge pieces in many areas. It's an exciting yet challenging path.
What makes this experience special is knowing that my ideas are listened to, and I can always receive absolute support. Rather than treating me as just a mentee, they consider me a real peer - trusting me with the progress and letting me work on things I've never touched before.
Some training topics don't appear in my daily work, so I prefer to focus on those I apply almost every day, such as Visual Studio Code, Github, and especially data or backend-related subjects. As Dwarves is expanding its Learning & Development sector, we're encouraged to participate in the weekly Radio Talk, events, and tech training hosted by university lecturers.
My foundation was layered with software development principles, concepts, and real-case practices. I picked up Golang and widened my expertise in blockchain and web3 sectors. But on top of that, I get to be the manager of my work and continuously upgrade myself as a real engineer.
I'm still on the way to reinforcing my software engineering foundation and discovering more of what I'm capable of. Backend and Data Science will probably be my next pursuit. The introvert in me is still working out how to bond with the rest of the team, but I sense that things should be fine since I already feel like a part of them.
