Ayesha | Pakistan

MANY BARRIERS TO THE LIFE SHE WANTED

Ayesha’s mother married at a young age and was forced to abandon her own academic pursuits. “A typical marriage means you have no personal life, you have no career,” Ayesha explained. But her mother was determined to make sure that her daughters avoided the same fate. “She doesn’t want the same life for us. She wanted us to study.”

That dream seemed unlikely after Ayesha’s father passed away, leaving her family with only a small pension to live off of. There was barely enough money to survive, much less pay expensive university fees. But Ayesha, like her mother, was determined to be independent. She worked diligently and managed to secure a scholarship in order to attend university and pursue a software engineering bachelor’s degree. Even still, she had to commute four hours daily to and from her hometown for school. “It was a tough time,” she shared, “but I like studying so much, so I worked hard for it.”

Despite graduating with a degree in software engineering, Ayesha struggled to find a job in her desired field. She was missing the crucial soft skills and experience that could make her stand out in a competitive field. “I struggled a lot to find a job, or to find an institute from where I could learn the things in which I was weak.”

THE LAST MILE TO LANDING HER DREAM JOB

When Ayesha discovered and was admitted to Generation’s Unity developer program, it was like she had finally found the missing piece in her education. “It fills my gaps of knowledge,” she shared. She was surrounded by peers and mentors who helped her to build her confidence as a developer and answer her questions. “My instructors … clearly explain each and everything. I am able to talk with other developers about the technical points.”

In addition to helping Ayesha hone her technical skills, Generation helped to connect her to potential employers – before the program had even ended. “Through Generation, I have an interview call from Frag Games” she said. “After two days, I received a job offer.”

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS

Ayesha now works as a Unity Engineer at Frag Games. She was emotional when she told us how her mother reacted to the news. “She fell out of tears. She hugged me … She is so proud,” Ayesha shared. She had finally fulfilled her and her mother’s shared dream of being able to support herself through a fulfilling career.

Working at Frag Games has completely changed Ayesha’s finances, and by extension her family’s. “Now I will do work and support my family,” she told us. She largely credits landing this opportunity with her time at Generation. “Generation was the best thing I can say that happened to me,” she shared. “It is the best step of my life.”