How This Humanities Grad Made the Leap to Tech Via CNM’s Deep Dive Program

Coffee and coding is how it all started for Lizzy Hines.

Back in 2017 Lizzy was just about to graduate with an International Studies degree from UNM when she ran into a fellow student from her program at an Albuquerque coffee shop. That student was sitting with friends and coding a food truck tracking app for the city.

Her friend told her that an International Studies degree, while engaging, had not led to a lot of career options. Therefore, she enrolled in CNM Ingenuity's Deep Dive Full Stack Web Developer bootcamp to broaden her career choices.

“I was thinking that she just graduated and was choosing to go right back to school. But, when she said it was a 10-week intensive bootcamp and not another full degree, it definitely piqued my interest,” Lizzy says.

The idea of a Deep Dive bootcamp stayed with Lizzy. When the pandemic hit and she was working as a server, she decided the time was perfect to make the jump and enroll.

In the bootcamp, Lizzy and the five other Full Stack students in her cohort dove into HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. They built a personal website and then developed a dual-language healthcare app for their Capstone Project. Lizzy says she loved the technical part of the program, but also appreciated that the Bootcamp was designed to help her build community and confidence.

“One of the first things they have you do in the program is make a LinkedIn profile and start networking with guest speakers and other program alumni through their mentorship program. Coding can be intimidating, but there’s lots of support and camaraderie from the Deep Dive network,” she says.

As the bootcamp winds down, there is strong emphasis on helping students immediately transition to internships and jobs. This was true for Lizzy and several of her classmates who were hired for the MTX Early Careers Program.

MTX, a global technology consulting firm, recently established an office in Albuquerque. MTX then partnered with CNM to develop the MTX Early Careers Program that supports the career development of recently graduated professionals through a 12-week comprehensive training. That training is designed to equip participants with real-world experience and enable them to enhance their skills while making meaningful contributions to MTX operations.

David Roybal, Client Partner Director at MTX, said CNM has been an amazing partner so far.

“MTX recently welcomed four new full-time employees to join our expanding MTX team, including three from CNM. With this addition, our team in the state of New Mexico now comprises 15 FTEs. This growth reflects our commitment to providing exceptional services and solutions to our clients and reinforces our dedication to building a talented and capable workforce. We are excited to have these new team members on board and look forward to achieving even greater success together,” Roybal says.

After completing her training at MTX, Lizzy will be a full-time Associate Salesforce Developer and is excited about her future working on projects that are making a difference in our communities and world.

Looking back, Lizzy is glad she made the leap to Deep Dive, even though she didn’t have any background in tech.

“I think the beauty of coding is that you can tie any background, interest, or strength into it,” she says. “I grew up as an artsy kid and just got into STEM in the last two and a half years. Regardless of your background, the more coding knowledge you have, the more you can do.”

And as she ventures deeper into the tech world, Lizzy knows she won’t be alone because of the strong community she built through Deep Dive.

“The Deep Dive community can easily be a resource you have for life,” she says.