Bridging Cultures and Building a New Tech Career

Growing up in China, Delta Evening & Weekend Platoon graduate Hui Zhao never would have suspected that she would become an American military spouse or a software engineer. But a couple of chance encounters—a Soldier she’d fall in love with and a new friend encouraging her to learn to code—would change her life forever.

“I planned to get my Masters of Animal Sciences in the United States, then move back to China,” Hui said. “I would live near my family and start one of my own. Then I met my husband, and everything changed.”

After marrying, Hui began working in animal care and research, but her plans had to shift again when her husband, an active duty Army Intelligence Analyst, was deployed to Alaska. 

“When I first became a military spouse, I didn’t know we’d have to move so much,” Hui said. “My background was in animal sciences and livestock. When we were deployed to Anchorage, I had no opportunities to continue my work.”

Hui quickly grew restless staying on the base alone. She wanted to forge her own path and positively impact the world. So, she started looking for a new career. With little support for military spouses at her base and few remote jobs available to Alaskans, Hui eventually settled into a role for the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management of Alaska.

“What I did there was meaningful but temporary,” Hui said. “I wanted a career that I could maintain no matter where my husband and I would have to live.”

Hui then connected online with another Chinese-American military spouse who had attended Code Platoon’s Full-stack Software Engineering: Immersive program and became a software engineer at Lockheed Martin. She told Hui about Coding Bootcamp and launching her tech career with Code Platoon.

“In the past, I would imagine what apps could make my life easier, but I never thought I could make these products myself,” Hui admitted. “I hadn’t considered programming. I thought it was a lot of math, but my friend encouraged me to try coding for myself.” 

Hui started learning Python and quickly found herself enjoying it. After completing Intro to Coding, she was accepted to Code Platoon’s Full-stack Software Engineering: Evening & Weekend program. She and three other spouses in her cohort received full-tuition military spouse scholarships.

“Having a shared experience with other military spouses in the program was awesome. Delta Evening & Weekend Platoon got along well. Whether Veterans or spouses, we were all students first.”

Hui was also surprised to receive even more resources from Code Platoon alums she added on LinkedIn: 

“It felt like a family. Everyone was looking out for each other.”

Hui’s favorite aspects of programming are project management, fixing bugs, and creating apps that make a difference in people’s lives. She also enjoyed working with teammates on their final projects.

“It’s so rewarding knowing what I build as a software engineer can have a lasting impact. It feels like the future is in my hands.”

Hui and her family recently moved to Virginia, where she is applying for her first software engineering position.

“In my first year of marriage, I didn’t realize that the American military and their spouses are a community, but they are. I’m grateful to have become part of the community of Veterans and spouses helping each other succeed.”

“Being a military spouse teaches you to be resilient, adaptable, and embrace the quick turnarounds in life,” she said. “I’ve moved to a new country, built new relationships, and done what I can to support my family while following my dreams, too.”

Kayla Elkin is the Marketing Content Specialist at Code Platoon. In this role, she uses her marketing, writing, and editing skills developed from previous positions in higher education and educational technology. Kayla has degrees in English and Sociology from Clemson University and completed the Study in India Program (SIP) at the University of Hyderabad.