Success Story: Nicole Miller, Backend Developer at Apple

Welcome to Formation’s Success Stories, a blog series designed to introduce you to Formation Alumni who have landed their dream jobs. Today, we’ll meet Nicole Miller, a Backend Developer at Apple. Here’s her journey to landing her next SWE role.

What was your educational/professional background prior to Formation?

I joined the Navy after high school and served for 6 years as an electronics technician. After separating, I enrolled as a Statistics major at San Diego State University—but once I took my first computer science class, I was hooked. In particular, I liked the problem-solving aspect of it and how it almost feels like a game or puzzle when coding and debugging, with the added satisfaction of building something and watching it work. I did a full pivot and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in CS and a minor in Statistics, and gained meaningful experience via internships at HP and ObjectSecurity. My first role was at a defense company where I primarily did backend development.

Can you paint a picture of what you were looking for before you joined the Fellowship?

About a year ago, I was comfortable in my previous role, but the market was favorable and recruiters reached out to me for various roles. I attempted a few interviews without committing myself to interview prep, and they predictably didn't go well. Software engineer interviews are famously difficult and most people don’t do well without preparing. The experience was discouraging because I knew I could do better, but I wasn't able to invest myself as much as I needed to. Then, the next year, when I was ready to commit to the process, the job market wasn't great.

When I found Formation, I believed that the program would help me hold myself accountable. I also was intrigued by their promise of mentorship from real software engineers at top companies. Joining Formation gave me the motivation to pursue what I wanted: a role where I could develop my career, receive higher compensation, and work on technology that I found interesting.

How did your interview skills improve with your Formation training?

The mock interviews were most impactful to me. When you work through coding problems in isolation, you’re not practicing all the skills that interviewers look for. I took advantage of the opportunities I had to interact with Formation Mentors and engineers who work and conduct interviews at top companies. The mock interviews were game-changing because I was able to practice my communication and problem-solving skills under pressure.

Additionally, I enjoyed participating in the peer mock interviews with other Fellows, where I could learn both by being the interviewee and the interviewer. I appreciated seeing how others conducted themselves in interviews and what it's like grading an interview participant's performance, which I had not experienced before.

How did you measure your progress/success through the program?

For me, it was difficult to measure progress until I started doing real interviews. However, once I started, I could tell that I felt more confident taking on problems I hadn't seen before and communicating with interviewers. I felt successful when I would pass interviews and get good feedback.

What’s your new title and team?

Backend developer for the Universal Media Catalog team.

“Quick-Fire” Questions

First code you shipped?
When I was in elementary school, I “shipped” my HTML/CSS designs of my Neopets shop page.

Favorite group session?
For me, it was the Algo workouts. They gave me a chance to practice, but I also got to see how others think through problems and communicate their solutions.

Most memorable moment at Formation?
Getting really good feedback from a mock interviewer after a technical interview. It was probably the most rewarding experience because it felt like my hard work was paying off.

Biggest surprise about Formation?

1. How active and encouraging the other Fellows were. They’re all willing to work with each other outside of Formation sessions. For example, I met with other Fellows outside of sessions to work on STAR responses to behavioral questions.
2. How much the Formation team cares about their content. During my short time with Formation, much of the content had evolved and several new features were added.

Anything advice you want to share with incoming or current Fellows?

Take advantage of the community and network. All of the Fellows—past and present—know what you are experiencing and want to help.

Utilize your Formation Fellow managers. They’re amazing at staying on top of your progress and go above and beyond to help you get questions answered and get connected to the right people.

Don’t give up. There may be times when you feel overwhelmed or burnt out, but take each day, application, and interview one at a time. With Formation, you have a support system, so communicate your needs and it will be much easier to reach your goals.