The Pivot: Seeking an Exit Strategy
After a decade in the mental health field, Elisabeth found herself at a crossroads. Working for various nonprofits as a licensed professional counselor, she felt increasingly burnt out and undervalued. "I felt like I was being worked really, really hard and not getting a lot of resources," she reflects. Recognizing the need for a career change while she still had the energy to pursue it, she began searching for a way out.
While she initially considered boot camps and traditional bachelor's degrees, nothing felt like the right fit until her mother sent her a New York Times article about the NYU Tandon Bridge program.
The Experience: "The Hardest Six Months of My Life"
Elisabeth entered the Bridge program with no formal technical training, a reality that initially triggered significant imposter syndrome. "A lot of the folks who were in the Bridge program had some kind of a technical background. I think I was the only one in my cohort who came in totally off the street," she notes.
Despite the challenges, she found a vital "village" within the program. Her classmates organized study groups and hopped on Zoom calls to help her deconstruct difficult assignments, while professors provided practical feedback to help her succeed. "I really would not have made it without the help of the folks who were in that program," she admits.
One mentor who stood out was Professor Nasir Memon, who took a chance on her non-traditional background. He challenged her to prove that someone from a social work background could excel in a technical field, a challenge she met by earning straight A's in her first semester of her Master’s program.
The Impact: A Transformed Quality of Life
The sacrifice proved to be worth it a "million times over." Within the first year of starting her Master’s in Cybersecurity, Elisabeth landed a tech internship. By the time she graduated in 2022, she was working full-time in the industry, earning double her previous salary.
Now a Solutions Engineer at Abnormal AI, Elisabeth enjoys a career that perfectly blends her past and present. Her daily work involves 50% technical problem-solving and 50% customer interaction, where she regularly leverages her counseling skills to connect with customers and understand their needs.
Beyond the professional success, the transition has fundamentally changed her personal life. As a mother to a toddler, the ability to work from home and avoid a stressful commute has been invaluable. "It means I get to spend more time with my son. I feel like I'm in a better place, but I also feel like my entire family is in a better place as well."
Advice for Prospective Students
For those currently burnt out in non-technical fields, Elisabeth emphasizes the importance of full commitment and a willingness to be uncomfortable.
"You have to get very comfortable with feeling kind of stupid sometimes and asking dumb questions," she advises. "The Bridge program is a unique opportunity to make a career pivot. If you're serious about wanting to make a career transition, you're probably not going to find another opportunity like this one."
NYU Tandon Bridge