Success Story: How Formation’s Fellowship helped Pierre Lourens reach the next level in his SWE journey

Welcome to Formation’s Fellow Spotlight, a blog series introducing you to former Formation Fellows who landed their dream jobs. Today, we’ll meet Pierre Lourens, now a Senior Software Engineer at Flow. 

Can you share a bit about your background before joining Formation?

I had a somewhat nontraditional path into tech. I started my career as a high school English teacher and then transitioned into software engineering. Through a combination of teaching myself to code and participating in a boot camp, I ended up landing a job at IBM.

Transitioning from a background in teaching English to software engineering is unique. How was that shift?

I decided that I wanted to do something where I’d have a big impact. Teaching definitely falls in that category. I love teaching and would do it again. You can also have a big impact with software engineering. 

The transition was smoother than you’d expect. Much of what you learn in a liberal arts background is fundamentally about paying attention to things and learning in different contexts. A lot of the time, you compare texts or synthesize information, and that's very similar to what you do when you work with a real-world code base. It almost feels like writing to me. It’s creative problem-solving.

What made Formation stand out to you when considering your next career step?

Formation appealed to me because the program isn’t just about preparing for interviews; it fundamentally enhances a Fellow’s skills as an engineer. I was looking for something that would bridge the gaps in my knowledge, not just help me pass interviews. The personalized support and ongoing training offered by Formation seemed like the right fit for my goals.

What were your specific goals during the program?

Fundamentally, I wanted to become a better software engineer and be better at technical interviewing. I would freeze up in technical interviews or struggle to communicate the things that I knew. I think this happened for a few reasons, First, I just didn’t have sufficient technical interview experience, and second, things like system design or data structures and algorithms were hard to learn without a traditional CS degree. I wanted to actually understand their fundamentals and not feel like an imposter during an interview. 

Because of my teaching background, I believe that if you actually understand something, then you can talk about it easily. But if you're pretending to understand something, then that’s when your nerves and anxiety pop up.

Aspirationally, I wanted to end up at a top-tier tech company, but that wasn’t something I considered central to my success.  

How has Formation impacted your interview skills and career trajectory?

I ended up getting a position at a fintech startup in San Francisco. Interestingly enough, the interview process there was unique compared to a lot of the big tech companies that I was interviewing for, but Formation prepared me to think on my feet and be ready for whatever came up. Beyond that, it actually helped a lot within my new role.

I’ve been here since August and received really glowing performance reviews. The things that they complimented me on echoed what Formation teaches. A lot of what you absorb in Formation is stuff that you can take with you beyond just the interview. That was pretty amazing to me, and it helps reinforce that what you’re learning is relevant.

Startup life. How do you like it?

I feel like I’ve gotten 10 years of experience in the time I’ve been here. I mentioned that when I joined Formation, I was interested in joining a big tech company. But, over the course of the program, I shifted to thinking that a startup would be fun and interesting because you're more on the ground building things that are brand new. You get to have a say in their design and how they’re built, and that's proven to be true. 

What everyone says about startups is real—you hit the ground running. In my second week, I was in meetings as we were designing a new product, and then I was part of its build. There was no ramp-up period. For early-career engineers, there's something to be said for all the experience you can gain quickly in a startup. I learned Ruby on Rails out of necessity. I had a Javascript background and had to pick up an entirely new language because, in startups, you just have to learn how to do those things.

What was your proudest moment during the Formation program?

My proudest moment was successfully passing the most challenging mock interviews. That was a significant milestone for me. It was a testament to my growth and the effectiveness of the program. I never would have passed those interviews before the program. 

What was one major takeaway or learning from your time with Formation?

The engineering method taught at Formation has become a cornerstone of my daily routine. I also learned the value of doing something consistently over time. Formation taught me that chipping away at a problem day by day and putting consistent effort in over time will get better results than cramming over a weekend. Consistency and accountability are key.

What was most surprising about Formation?

The most surprising aspect was the level of community that you could achieve with a virtual program. I made friends. Very quickly, I found people who started Formation at a similar time to me. Even if you work at your own pace, it was really easy to find people who would hop on a Google Meet call to work on a problem with you or to vent about the job search process. 

I wasn't expecting a virtual program to have that level of camaraderie and community.

I definitely sing Formation's praises. I was impressed by the level of involvement with the founders. Michael and Sophie’s level of commitment is incredible. I saw Michael pushing out code changes at all hours of the night as he was working on the platform. I saw the team's commitment to updating the handbook or updating the curriculum all the time. That was above and beyond what I was expecting. It's really amazing.