A chance meeting drives big changes

On an ordinary Saturday morning in San Francisco, Juan Padilla picked up an Uber passenger who would would unexpectedly change the course of his career and his life. As Juan chatted with his passenger, Matt Cobley, the conversation moved from the casual (sports) to the personal (work and career aspirations).

Juan explained that he recently graduated from a UI/UX boot camp course but was having difficulty transitioning into a full-time tech role due to the competitive job market. Matt shared details about his career background and his role in sales at Udemy, a company Juan was familiar with, thanks to his interest in growing his skills and career prospects. Inspired by Juan’s love of learning and drive to achieve more, Matt suggested they stay in touch after the ride reached its destination. Matt offered to help Juan with his career jump — from resume tips to handling tough interview questions and sending leads on job opportunities.

With Matt’s support, Juan applied for a Sales Development Representative position at Udemy. In this position, he would work with Spanish-speaking customers and prospects to help them build the right learning programs to upskill their teams. It was a perfect intersection of his skills and interest in getting started in the tech industry.

Today, Juan is thriving on the Udemy Sales team, working confidently on his sales quota and exceeding expectations. His journey from driving passengers to closing deals as a Udemy employee speaks to the transformational power of learning as well as the power of community. One routine conversation can jumpstart a career and light a pathway to new possibilities.