When Benjamin Stanley completed his PhD in Mathematics at just 28-years-old, , everyone saw him as a budding academician. But, he realized that academics wasn’t for him and he wanted something more.
Watch his story here:
Benjamin’s Tryst With Destiny
While he was pursuing his PhD, Ben suffered a serious illness and the associated mental health issues. “I felt like I had no options. I was so sick that I couldn’t explore things the way someone else could have,” said Benjamin.
At that time, a friend told him about Udacity and a scholarship program being offered by Udacity and Google. “It was the day before the deadline — but I got myself together and applied for the scholarship,” he said.
Benjamin Turns a New Leaf in Android Development
When Benjamin received the scholarship, he chose the Android Development Nanodegree program. This was in 2016 and 2017. “Back then, it was like an escape route for me,” he shared.
He soon started applying for jobs in Android development as well as catch-all programming positions. Soon, he started working at one of the largest banks in the United States. He worked there for two years.
But when COVID-19 hit, he realized the flexibility of working remotely and he started looking for remote jobs. He is currently working at a maintenance engineering company. “I am still using the skills I learnt during my Nanodegree program,” he said.
The Official ‘Pied-Piper’ of Udacity
When our team spoke with Benjamin, he told us that he hasn’t gone longer than two months without encouraging someone to try Udacity. “I am the Udacity pied-piper,” he said happily.
In fact, even when he was teaching in college, he used to encourage students to consider more up-to-date education options, particularly if they were looking to develop tech skills. “University education is so expensive and outdated. They aren’t able to react to changing employment trends. In order to sustain themselves, universities will have to drastically cut their prices, which would put them in the same pricing area as Udacity,” he said.
Start Your Career in Android Development Today!
If you are interested in working in app development, then Android is a promising career path. Becoming an Android developer requires you to learn the right skills like Benjamin did.
Udacity’s Android Developer Nanodegree program is not only flexible and affordable, but you can also get started immediately. At only 10 hours a week, you will finish the program in six months with an app published in the Google Play store that will act as proof of your Android development skills.
