Hassan Salem
SE Factory Lebanon
“I was the first cohort with SE Factory in 2019. It was an intensive course of 9-hour day, 5 days a week. I still had to work part-time, but I made it work. As hard as programming may be, learning the programming itself was the easier part. However, what I learnt is recruiters were no only looking for technical skills, but also skills needed in in the real world. How effective you are as part of a team, can you manage your time, communicate well with people, etc. We learnt what is required now in the programming industry”.
It broadened my mind, I learnt you do not need to start something from scratch when you can learn from others. I learnt to build on something that is already tested, in other words not to reinvent the wheel. It changed my mindset and how to view myself differently. I respect and listen to criticisms and different perspectives, I am not afraid of my weaknesses, on the contrary, I use it as an opportunity to learn and to continuously work on myself to improve. The Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund provided me more than an opportunity to learn, it provided me with an opportunity to grow and today I am proudly known as a Programmer. Hassan currently works in an HR Software Company in Germany. It was his first interview and he got accepted. “I never imagined I would be here. I am exposed to great experiences and technologies; I make sure not to keep this learning to myself. I share it with all my peers, so they can learn and benefit from it.
