{"id":11625,"date":"2023-12-04T08:24:22","date_gmt":"2023-12-04T08:24:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/uncategorized\/alumni-spotlight-kerli-zirk\/"},"modified":"2025-02-05T09:15:22","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T09:15:22","slug":"alumni-spotlight-kerli-zirk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/articles-en\/alumni-spotlight-kerli-zirk\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni Spotlight \u2013 Kerli Zirk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-el\">As kood\/J\u00f5hvi&#8217;s alumni series continues, we shift our spotlight to another inspiring graduate &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/kerli-zirk-3a7a28199\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Kerli Zirk<\/strong><\/a>, a 27-year-old hailing from the charming town of Viljandi, Estonia. Her story began in the world of cars. More exactly selling car spare parts, a world totally different from the coding landscape. Kerli\u2019s story offers a glimpse into the unexplored potential that unfolds when passion meets the opportunities provided at kood\/J\u00f5hvi. So, without further ado, let&#8217;s dive straight into it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 style=\"--ama-heading-stencil-color: var(--ama-accent-color-1)\" class=\"wp-block-heading wp-el\" id=\"h-from-auto-parts-to-coding\">From Auto Parts to Coding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\">After graduating from High School, Kerli studied automotive technology at a vocational school and successfully earned her diploma in 2017. Post-graduation she delved into short-term job opportunities and eventually ended up working in auto spare parts sales, longing for more challenges and growth.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\">In 2021, Kerli took a leap of faith by participating in a web development training program facilitated by the Estonian T\u00f6\u00f6tukassa. Although the training itself didn&#8217;t offer a profound learning experience, it sparked her interest in web development. The appeal of a career with <strong>remote work possibilities<\/strong> and promising <strong>growth<\/strong> prompted her to explore the world of <strong>software development<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 style=\"--ama-heading-stencil-color: var(--ama-accent-color-2)\" class=\"wp-block-heading wp-el\" id=\"h-what-to-do-next\">What to do next?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\">Amidst considerations of traditional vocational schools and other options to pursue the desired education, Kerli was introduced to the kood\/J\u00f5hvi initiative, which quickly became her top choice.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/selectionsprint-7953-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11431\" style=\"width:244px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kerli at the 2021 Selection Sprint<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\">Reflecting on her decision, Kerli shares: \u201cI\u2019ve already experienced the level of vocational education before and wasn&#8217;t very eager to go there again because the foundation seemed weaker.\u201d. So instead of going down the same old road, our future alumnus decided to switch things up and joined the <a href=\"https:\/\/kood.tech\/2022\/03\/10\/what-is-the-selection-sprint\/\">Selection Sprint<\/a> in the summer of 2021. That intensive period, which Kerli refers to as \u201ca rollercoaster of emotions\u201d, turned out to be a success, with her securing the spot in kood\/J\u00f5hvi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 style=\"--ama-heading-stencil-color: var(--ama-accent-color-3)\" class=\"wp-block-heading wp-el\" id=\"h-kood-johvi-experience\">kood\/J\u00f5hvi Experience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\">Reflecting on her time at school, Kerli expressed: \u201ckood\/J\u00f5hvi was the best decision for my educational journey. The program not only gave me <strong>technical skills<\/strong> but also taught me the invaluable <strong>ability to self-learn<\/strong>. The balance between the structured educational program and self-learning methodology laid a <strong>strong foundation for my programming path<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/DSC_7672-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11432\" style=\"width:541px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kerli at the kood\/J\u00f5hvi graduation in autumn 2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\">Kerli also mentions that completing the program in under 1.5 years brought moments of burnout, yet the family and team support pushed her to succeed. Kerli emphasizes her appreciation for teamwork and practical tasks, stating: &#8220;I highly value <strong>collaboration<\/strong>, <strong>hands-on experience<\/strong>, and <strong>real-life projects<\/strong> we had, as a testament to our hard work.&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/dvwFYRS0_0515282-1024x683-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13480\" style=\"width:506px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/dvwFYRS0_0515282-1024x683-1.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/dvwFYRS0_0515282-1024x683-1-195x130.jpeg 195w, https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/dvwFYRS0_0515282-1024x683-1-60x40.jpeg 60w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kerli at the <strong>kood\/JobFair 2023<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\">All the skills acquired at the coding school not only equipped her for the job market but also opened up a variety of new opportunities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 style=\"--ama-heading-stencil-color: var(--ama-accent-color-4)\" class=\"wp-block-heading wp-el\" id=\"h-navigating-the-future-in-tech\">Navigating the Future in Tech<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\">Currently, Kerli is a Junior Software Developer at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/sysynkt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Sysynkt<\/strong><\/a>, focusing on full stack development projects. Working in a startup provides her with the freedom to discover new horizons and explore her identity within the vast world of IT. While her heart leans towards development, the future holds endless possibilities. Kerli\u2019s journey continues, and her story serves as an example for those navigating their own <strong>career transitions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\">Stay tuned for the next edition of our Alumni Spotlight series as we unveil more inspiring stories of growth and exploration from the kood\/J\u00f5hvi community!<\/p>\n<div class=\"ama-block block-seperator full-width\" style=\"--seperator-bgcolor: var(--ama-accent-color-1);\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As kood\/J\u00f5hvi&#8217;s alumni series continues, we shift our spotlight to another inspiring graduate &#8211; Kerli Zirk, a 27-year-old hailing from the charming town of Viljandi,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12022,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[212,215],"tags":[529],"class_list":["post-11625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-en","category-alumni-en","tag-kood-women"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11625"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19712,"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11625\/revisions\/19712"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}