I broke into tech as a teacher after going to a coding boot camp. Now I have a 6-figure job and work-life balance.

Xavier Carrillo wanted a better work-life balance and a higher income after teaching through the pandemic. Now he makes six figures at a SaaS company.

• Xavier Carrillo transitioned from teaching to a six-figure tech job after doing a coding boot camp.
• The 12-week program will cost him $22,000 in total, but he says it was worth it.
• Now he earns $140,000 a year, has improved his work-life balance, and hopes to retire early.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with 29-year-old Xavier Carrillo in New York City. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I thought I wanted to be a police officer. No one in my family went to college, so I didn't know what other jobs existed.

I wish I hadn't focused on wanting to become a cop and had learned more about other career options — maybe I would've learned about software engineering.

Instead, I majored in marketing at Baruch and joined the police academy.

After I realized I didn't want to be a police officer, I felt lost

As a cadet, I realized that the work-life balance of a police officer wasn't for me, and I wanted more structure.

An old soccer teammate of mine had done a program called New York City Teaching Fellows where you earn a master's degree in education while teaching in public schools. I always liked to give back to the community, math, and being in a school environment, so I applied.

I was accepted into the program and started teaching in 2017.

I was a teacher for four years

I taught at a transfer high school for overage students who were under-credited. I found it fulfilling, but it was a lot of hard work. I used to get to school around 7:20 a.m., coach the basketball teams in the afternoon, then go home and plan for the next day until around 6 p.m.

I was also pursuing my master's degree in adolescent education, and I had classes once or twice a week, usually from 7 to 9 p.m.

I burned out

A few years into teaching, my school launched a computer science program, and I was chosen to teach a Python class. I didn't know anything about computer science, but I enjoyed it. After school, I would teach it to myself.

When COVID-19 hit, I felt burned out. As people started working remotely, I realized I wanted to work from home, improve my work-life balance, and make more money.

One of my friends had done a coding boot camp and told me she really enjoyed it. A coworker recommended I consider General Assembly.

I submitted my résumé and references. Then, I had a phone interview. They wanted to know if I was fully committed because the boot camp is hard and time-consuming.

The final step was an assessment to test foundational skills, which I was a little nervous about because it was my first experience with coding outside the classroom. I passed and got accepted.

The boot camp was intense

I quit teaching after summer school in 2021 and started the boot camp in August. It was 12 weeks long. We started with a cohort of 30, but around five people dropped out within the first two weeks because of how intense it was.

Instructional time was from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. We'd meet in sections with different professors throughout the day. There was homework every night and a major milestone project every four weeks. I would usually be on my laptop from around 8:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. and even later some days.

It was around $15,000 if you paid upfront. I chose the Income Share Agreement (ISA), which allowed you to pay on a monthly payment plan of 10% of your salary once you found a job that paid over $40,000. I'll end up paying $22,000 in total.

The job search was rough

After the boot camp ended, looking for a job was very difficult. I knew my first job wouldn't be at Apple or Meta. Instead, I thought about what jobs I could get immediately to eventually get there.

I would apply for jobs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. I applied to over 300. It was mentally challenging to keep getting rejected. Thankfully, my fiancée, Viviana, and my parents supported me.

Many people don't understand that just because you join a boot camp, you're not guaranteed to become a software developer, get into tech, or even get a job. The boot camp provided us with a career coach, but some of my classmates never broke into tech or returned to what they were doing.

At first, I was mostly applying for software engineering roles. After two months, I reflected on my strengths and how I could use them. I like the technical aspect of software engineering, but I also like troubleshooting and interacting with people.

I realized that customer success and account management jobs could give me the best of both worlds. In February and March 2022, I applied to more of these jobs and began to get more interviews.

I landed a six-figure tech job

At the end of April, I landed my first job as a technical customer support specialist on the market data team of a stock exchange. My total compensation was $105,000. I really liked my coworkers and also enjoyed the product.

I had been there for a year and a half when two recruiters contacted me. They were both looking for bilingual Spanish technical account managers, and I speak Spanish.

In November 2023, I took a role at a SaaS company with a total compensation of over $140,000. Initially, there was a learning curve, but the product is great, and the people I work with are even better.

I go into the office once a week, but I don't have a strict schedule. My work-life balance is so much better than when I was teaching. I can take off when I want and save time by not commuting daily.

The boot camp seemed like the only way for me to transition into tech

I'll be done paying off the boot camp in October. The cost was definitely worth it. When I left teaching after four years, I made around $85,000, and my salary now is almost double what I was making.

I saw the boot camp as the best way to learn the skills I needed to transition into tech. I could've learned on YouTube but wouldn't have anything to put on my résumé.

My parents gave up a lot moving to the US from Ecuador, so I need to take advantage of that. My dream life involves early retirement, financial freedom, and travel. Most importantly, I want to help my family.

If you made a significant career change into tech and want to share your story, email Jane Zhang at janezhang@businessinsider.com.