Transitioning into a new career often feels like standing at the base of a mountain with no clear path to the top. For Sam Davies, that mountain was the world of Software Engineering.Coming from a background in hospitality and teaching, the leap into tech wasn’t just a career shift—it was a complete transformation of how he approached problem-solving and professional standards.

The Initial “Impossible” Feeling

When Sam first embarked on his Software Engineering path at Amsterdam Tech nearly a year ago, the experience was overwhelming.He describes the beginning of his journey as a “very big learning curve,” where the work felt nearly impossible.”It felt like learning a completely new language and using problem-solving skills I’d never had to use before,” Sam recalls.

For many career changers, this “impossible” phase is where imposter syndrome hits the hardest. The gap between past experience and the technical requirements of a new industry can feel insurmountable.However, Sam’s story emphasizes that perseverance through this initial friction is the only way to build the “character” required for a successful tech career.

Rigorous Feedback and Industry Standards

What sets the experience at Amsterdam Tech apart for Sam is the shift from theory to high-stakes, professional application.While earlier stages of learning might allow for minor inconsistencies, the program eventually “turns up a notch”.

Sam notes that the school’s instructors became increasingly stringent, “hammering” him on the importance of uniformity and consistency in his code.This rigorous feedback loop is designed to prepare students for the “real world,” moving them away from basic methods—like simple “for loops”—and toward more streamlined, professional techniques.

“It’s frustrating sometimes, but I’ve learned a lot from it,” Sam explains.By being forced to refactor his work until it meets strict product specifications, he has gained a level of confidence in modular, clean coding that he didn’t think possible just months prior.

Project-Based Learning: The Ultimate Teacher

Instead of standard university lectures, Sam was met with a project-based approach: being handed a complex task and told to “go figure it out”.This hands-on method forced him to troubleshoot his own mistakes rather than relying on a tutor for the answers.

One of his most significant milestones was the “BSQ” (Biggest Square) project, an algorithm-heavy task that required him to master the use of pointers in C to keep the program memory-efficient and fast.Through projects like these, Sam realized that every failure was actually an incremental improvement.

Advice for Future Career Changers

Sam’s journey from the hospitality industry to becoming a confident software engineer serves as a blueprint for anyone feeling “stuck” in their current role. His main takeaway?Be okay with failing.

“If you persevere and you’re okay with learning from your failures—because you will fail a lot—it’s incredibly rewarding,” he says.For Sam, the transition into tech wasn’t just about learning to code; it was about building the resilience to turn the “impossible” into a professional reality.