Eric Shankman's Journey Into Tech

After 20 years in sales and operations management, Eric Shankman saw the landscape shifting. With new tech tools being integrated into every industry, he realized it was time to learn to code and explore the world of AI and software engineering.

“I was looking at what would be a great next career and with AI and technology continuing to grow, I wanted to get ahead of it and use my management experience to get into new fields.”

Now several weeks into the Codesmith Software Engineering Immersive program, Eric is already thinking about how to combine his deep business expertise with his growing technical skill set.

“Couple my decades of sales and management experience with the technical capacities I am currently learning at Codesmith to find a niche.”

Why a Sales Background is a Competitive Advantage in Software Engineering

Sales is timeless. It’s a skill that unlocks opportunities in nearly every career. Eric’s experience places him in a powerful position to transition into tech and bring added value to any engineering team.

“I've sold pretty much every product out there. I've done both consultative sales, sales on services, and also products like water dispensers full manufacturing lines in the plastics recycling industry.”

As industries from finance to climate tech adopt software solutions, engineers with business acumen are increasingly in demand. Companies like John Deere, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon are just a few examples where software engineers outnumber traditional technical roles. Despite the nature of their products, they employ more software engineers than many other roles.

For now, however, Eric is not working to focus on the immersive program, which demands near complete dedication for three months. “I'm doing the full-time program and it's physically impossible to be working alongside it, so I'm just studying and focusing on my classes.”

Committing Fully to a Coding Bootcamp

Eric knew that making a successful career change into software engineering would require full dedication. He enrolled in the full-time immersive coding bootcamp at Codesmith, understanding that balancing work alongside the program wasn’t feasible.

“I'm doing the full-time program and it's physically impossible to be working alongside it, so I'm just studying and focusing on my classes.”

The Software Engineering Immersive demands complete focus, with long hours spent learning advanced JavaScript, data structures, algorithms, and full-stack development through collaborative projects. Eric embraced this challenge, recognizing it as a vital investment in his future.

Early Interest in Tech and First Exposure to Code

Eric’s curiosity about tech wasn’t new. Long before he considered a full career pivot, he had already dabbled in basic website development.

“I was always interested in technology and as my mother owns a sales representative business, I built her websites using website builders and templates.”

These early experiences planted the seed for what would eventually become a full-blown commitment to learn to code. When a family friend recommended Codesmith, praising the program’s outcomes and intensity, Eric took note. However, the timing wasn’t right in 2022, and he wasn’t yet in a position to prepare for the rigorous admissions process.

“Unfortunately back in 2022, when I started looking into the journey, I didn't have enough free time to really devote myself to preparing to get into the program. So that got put on hold until there was some restructuring at my last job that gave me the freedom to get into this.”

It took almost two years before Eric was finally able to commit the time and energy required to prepare for Codesmith, and even then, gaining admission wasn’t immediate.

Starting with Free Coding Resources: From YouTube to CSX

When Eric finally decided to start his career change into tech, he turned to what many aspiring developers do first—YouTube tutorials. But he quickly hit a wall.

“I started learning to code seriously at the end of October 2024 by jumping on YouTube and following videos. And I really wasn't getting very far.”

That’s when he returned to Codesmith and discovered CSX, the platform’s free prep curriculum, specifically designed for beginners making the transition into coding.

“I attended one of the Codesmith Q&A sessions and ended up signing up for CSX Prep and working my way through that. I watched all the Codesmith lectures online and started to attend some of the free workshops just to familiarize myself with it.”

Eric approached learning with precision. He created detailed notes, self-made Excel reference guides, and organized every concept, definition, and example he encountered.

“I took extensive notes and created all these reference guides for JavaScript in Excel with definitions, resources like MDN, and links so I could easily follow back up to it.”

He carefully cataloged syntax patterns and best-case use scenarios for JavaScript fundamentals, ensuring that he wasn’t just learning but also deeply understanding the material.

Codesmith’s Hard Parts Series and the Power of Pair Programming

While CSX provided a strong foundation, Eric found the Hard Parts series to be the true catalyst in his progress. These technical deep-dives into core programming concepts helped bridge the gap between passive understanding and active application.

“I went multiple times to every Hard Parts lecture Codesmith offered and watched the Hard Parts series on YouTube before bed to absorb as much information as I could, and then topped it up through a lot of pair programming.”

Pair programming became an essential learning tool for Eric. He recorded his sessions, rewatched them to evaluate his problem-solving skills, and noted areas for improvement.

“Whenever I was pair programming with someone I took notes on what I was doing and used tools like Loom to film and watch myself solving the problems, talking out loud and trying to come up with ways to improve my code.”

Despite all of this preparation, Eric faced an internal challenge common among many career switchers—imposter syndrome. He realized that while he could speak about concepts confidently, actually implementing them in code was far more difficult.

“I understood concepts and I could talk well about them, but that gave a false sense of my understanding. I couldn't recreate the code myself.”

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Finding Support

Eric hit a low point. Doubts began to creep in. But rather than backing away from the challenge, he leaned in—and leaned on the Codesmith community.

“I’d made great connections with Codesmith staff, folks like Annie and Eric reached out to me on a regular basis to say ‘keep going. We'll get you resources. We'll pair you with mentors.’”

That encouragement reignited his drive.

“It just kept spiraling and going from there. I just never gave up. I just kept saying, this is really what I want to do. So let's find a way to make it happen.”

It wasn’t just emotional support—Eric’s technical ability grew too. Through persistent pair programming, he began to internalize problem-solving strategies and recognize his own growth.

“Pair programming made the difference because I started to see how others would break down problems into smaller problems and then solve them... We were able to talk through it.”

Mastering Closure and Recursion, two notoriously difficult JavaScript concepts, became key moments that marked a turning point in his journey.

Getting to the Technical Interview

Eric’s software engineering journey officially began on October 28th, 2024, when he attended his first Codesmith event. After months of consistent preparation, pair programming, and deep study of JavaScript fundamentals, he finally took the technical interview at the end of February 2025.

Unfortunately, like plenty of other Codesmith alums, the first attempt was not a success.Despite all the preparation, nerves got the better of him during the interview.

“I made a silly mistake when I look back at it. But your nerves are going when you're in that interview for the first time. It was a semantic problem. I should have used parentheses and I used brackets and it broke the code.”

“It took me some time just to re-go through and reread my code. Then I started having doubts. So I started refactoring my code, starting fresh, and then when I went back and saw what I did wrong. And I remember looking at the interviewer and just saying, ‘I feel so stupid.’”

The admissions team reassured him though, encouraging him to rest and try again. Eric took two days off to reset mentally, then came back with renewed focus and energy.

“I took two days off to get my mind fresh and then I was grinding away that rest of the week. I started a new CSX account and I went from the beginning as far as I could before the test.”

He ramped up his daily CodeWars practice, reviewed all his materials, and approached the next interview attempt with confidence and determination.

This time, he passed. Eric joined the March 14th cohort—achieving his goal after nearly five months of committed effort.

Learning What Works: Trusting the Process

Looking back, Eric recognizes what helped most: trusting the structured learning approach Codesmith offers through CSX.

“If doing it all again I would trust the Codesmith process of starting at CSX, instead of relying on YouTube videos to teach me.”

What made CSX different, he explains, was how the material was reinforced in multiple ways—videos, articles, and hands-on coding challenges all working together.

“It’s the mix of the videos, the articles, and the problems. The videos get you used to sitting and listening to coding lectures. The articles help if you're a visual person, and then the problems reinforce both things.”

Whether learning about functions, loops, or variable reassignment, CSX brought everything together in a structured, digestible way that helped solidify his understanding.

“The problems sections bring everything that you’re learning together into a nice little package.”

Life in the Immersive: All-Nighters and All-In Learning

As someone familiar with long hours and dedication from his years in management and sales, Eric wasn’t intimidated by the commitment the program required. But he quickly found out that “immersive” truly meant immersive.

“When they say it's an immersive program, it really is immersive. I'm on my computer working at around 7:30–8:00 a.m. and go until 8:30 p.m.”

The intensity was especially evident during group projects. Eric recalls one particular sprint where he and his partner were up until 2:30 a.m., only to be back at it by 7 a.m.

“For one of our projects my partner and I were up till about 2:30 a.m. then from there we ended up getting up around 7 a.m. to continue working.”

The Value of Mentorship and Support at Codesmith

Throughout the process, Eric leaned heavily on the supportive community that Codesmith is known for. One standout figure in his journey was a fellow named Sam LaRiviere, who gave up his day off to mentor Eric through mock interviews.

“I want to give a shout out to one of the fellows, Sam LaRiviere, who helped me get through the technical interview. On Sam's day off he spent 6 hours with me drilling through problems and setting it up as a real technical interview.”

The two worked in sprints, simulating interview conditions. Sam observed, reviewed Eric’s problem-solving approach, gave detailed feedback, and pushed Eric to reach a higher level of readiness.

“We broke the day up in a few sessions... I really couldn't have asked for a better mentor.”

This personalized support was instrumental in helping Eric not only pass the interview but build lasting confidence in his technical problem-solving ability.

Looking Ahead: AI, SaaS, and Merging Sales with Software

As he reaches week three of the program, Eric is already looking to the future. He’s approaching the point where students begin to specialize—whether in frontend, backend, full-stack development, or even AI and machine learning.

“Do I gravitate toward backend, frontend, full stack? Do I want to get into dev training? I enjoy helping others grow so do I give back to the community?”

He’s especially intrigued by the possibility of integrating artificial intelligence into future projects, noting that his cohort is one of the first to access Codesmith’s new AI and ML technical leadership curriculum.

“I would like to do something that integrates AI, as we're seeing some seniors do that now, and we're only the second or third cohort doing the new AI and ML modules in the Immersive.”

Eric is also considering building SaaS platforms or conversational tools—such as chatbots and AI agents. Additionally, a friend has invited him to collaborate on building the e-commerce site for a new business venture.

Final Thoughts: Eric’s Journey is Just Beginning

Eric Shankman’s story is a powerful example of what it takes to switch careers into tech later in life. It’s about persistence, community, structure, and trusting the process—even when it’s hard.

We’ll be catching up with Eric again after graduation to follow where his journey leads next as he works to combine technical expertise with his deep understanding of business and operations.

Interested in launching your own tech career? Explore Codesmith’s programs below.