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English · A1 · 12 episodes

From Deliveries to Code

A motorbike courier, a second-hand laptop and a dream: working in tech for the world without leaving the neighbourhood.

Start: The Order

The story's lead

Wesley "Wes" Andrade, 23, an app delivery rider in Parque das Flores, east São Paulo. One delivery to a startup office changes everything.

Who it's for

For anyone working with a phone in hand who wants to get into tech, and anyone who needs remote-work English: sign-ups, code, calls and interviews.

By the end of the season, you can

  • Sign up and get around websites and apps in English
  • Read error messages and ask for help on a forum
  • Describe an app and write a README
  • Write a CV and talk about your skills
  • Answer "Tell me about yourself" in an interview

Who's in it

  • Ama MensahBritish-Ghanaian developer, his mentor
  • Dona Lúciahis mum, who sells lunchboxes
  • Yasminhis 12-year-old sister
  • Thiago, Amina e Diegothe study group: Recife, Nairobi and Lima
  • Norarecruiter in Toronto
Your pace in the episodes

The episodes

  1. 1The OrderWes delivers an order to a startup office. Everyone speaks English, a laptop falls, and a developer says something he won't forget.
  2. 2Sign UpAma sends the link to a free coding course. Everything is in English: sign-up, email, password and a button Wes doesn't understand.
  3. 3It Doesn't WorkWes's first code throws an error. He doesn't know what to do, until he discovers that asking in English on a forum is half a developer's job.
  4. 4The Study GroupWes joins the online study group. People from all over the world, different time zones, and everyone describes their routine in English.
  5. 5The MentorFirst mentoring video call with Ama. She explains what remote work is like, what a junior does and what he needs to learn.
  6. 6The LaptopWes looks for a second-hand laptop. Prices, comparisons and a pushy seller, until Dona Lúcia shows up with a surprise.
  7. 7Night ShiftDeliveries by day, code by night. Wes is exhausted and thinks about quitting. The study group talks about routines, frequency and not studying alone.
  8. 8The AppThe first real project: an app for Dona Lúcia's lunchbox business. Wes has to explain in English what the app has and what it does.
  9. 9The READMEWes puts the app on GitHub and has to write the README, the text that presents the project. In English, short and clear, for anyone in the world.
  10. 10The ApplicationThe junior job in Toronto. Wes writes his CV in English and discovers that delivering food taught him a lot too.
  11. 11The InterviewFirst job interview in English, on video, with Nora from Toronto. The internet drops, his heart races, and Wes tells his own story.
  12. 12The OfferSeason finale: the email from Toronto arrives. Wes reads it, rereads it, calls Ama, and Dona Lúcia finds out her son will work for Canada without leaving the neighbourhood.