When I look back at the last eighteen months of my professional life, I can see a clear shift — not in the job title on my CV, but in the way I approach my work, my learning, and even my sense of belonging in tech. That shift didn’t happen overnight. It came through mentorship.
I was lucky enough to be part of two very different, but equally formative, programmes: Beyond Boundaries and Bridge. Each one offered me something I didn’t even know I needed. And the mentors I met along the way — well, I’m still processing how much they changed things for me.
Starting with Beyond Boundaries: Permission to Take Up Space
I joined the Beyond Boundaries programme at a time when I was questioning whether I even belonged in tech. I didn’t have a computer science degree, I wasn’t working at a FAANG company, and I felt like everyone around me spoke a language I hadn’t learned.
Beyond Boundaries was the first space where I felt seen as I was. The application process alone asked me questions that made me reflect deeply on what I’d already achieved. Once I was matched with my mentor, a senior UX researcher who had also taken a non-traditional path, everything started to shift.
We met monthly and worked on tangible goals: improving my portfolio, preparing for a role transition, and navigating some difficult feedback at work. But it was more than just guidance. She challenged me to articulate my value clearly and repeatedly reminded me that my voice mattered.
The community aspect was just as powerful. There were peer review sessions, Q&As, and workshops where I could ask “stupid questions” without feeling stupid. By the time the programme ended, I had a clearer sense of direction and — maybe more importantly — the confidence to pursue it.
Bridge: Structure, Momentum, and Technical Growth
A few months later, I applied to the Bridge Mentorship Programme after coming across the Bridge Tech Contest online. I didn’t win, but I must have caught someone’s attention, because I got an email inviting me to join their next mentorship cohort.
Bridge had a different feel. It was faster-paced and more structured, and it pushed me hard. My mentor was a backend engineer who had worked at multiple high-growth startups, and from day one, he treated me like a peer. He gave me brutally honest feedback, handed me design challenges that were way above my comfort zone, and reviewed every pull request I sent him like it was production code.
It was exactly what I needed. In that short time, I rewrote parts of my old projects, improved my system design skills, and learned how to advocate for better processes in my team. Bridge gave me technical clarity and professional momentum. It helped me level up in ways that showed up in my next job interview — and my next offer letter.
Two Programmes, One Clear Outcome
What I appreciated most is how the two programmes complemented each other. Beyond Boundaries grounded me; Bridge pushed me forward. One gave me the language and space to reflect, the other gave me tools and speed to grow. Both gave me mentors who genuinely invested in my development.
To anyone considering applying to either programme: do it. Not because it will magically solve your problems, but because it will give you a mirror and a map. You’ll meet people who challenge you, cheer you on, and quietly change your trajectory.
And if you’re already in a place where you can give back — consider becoming a mentor. I’m not there yet, but I hope to be soon. Because if there’s one thing these programmes taught me, it’s that no one builds a tech career alone.
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