Six months changed her career. After years in administrative roles and a period of maternity leave, Aruna retrained in Full Stack development through Kazakhstan’s Tech Orda program and now works on an IT product at a startup participating in Astana Hub, DKNews.kz reports.
Her story reflects a broader shift in Kazakhstan’s technology sector. According to official figures, more than 3,200 people have changed professions and started careers in IT through Tech Orda since the program was launched.
Aruna did not come from a technical background. She studied international relations and political science, earned a master’s degree in Public Policy and spent several years working in administrative roles before going on maternity leave.
“During my maternity leave, I began thinking about changing careers. I wanted to enter a promising field where I could continuously develop my skills and see tangible results from my work,” Aruna said.
Online courses were not enough to make the career switch
Aruna’s transition into technology did not begin with a coding school. At first, she tried to learn independently through Udemy and YouTube.
That approach gave her access to information, but she found it difficult to turn separate courses into a structured path towards a new profession.
“At first, I studied IT independently through courses on Udemy and YouTube. However, I lacked a structured approach, practical assignments and support from instructors. Tech Orda therefore became a valuable opportunity for me to gain the necessary knowledge and launch a career in a new field,” she said.
In 2024, Aruna heard about Tech Orda from friends, applied and was admitted to Recoursia’s Full Stack Development course.
The training lasted six months and was intensive. Students studied theory, completed practical assignments, developed their own projects and passed both internal assessments and Astana Hub’s final examination.
Aruna completed the program in spring 2025.
The course also covered a part of career development that is often missing from self-study. Students met HR specialists and received support with résumés and interview preparation.
As Aruna explains, this helped participants understand not only programming but also how to approach the search for their first job in technology.
Starting from scratch was the biggest challenge
For someone without a technical degree, one of the hardest parts was absorbing a large amount of unfamiliar material within a relatively short period.
“The most difficult part was starting from scratch and mastering a large amount of new information within a short period. At first, many technical terms and tasks seemed extremely challenging,” Aruna said.
There was another obstacle: the feeling that a junior developer must know everything before applying for a job.
“There was also a psychological barrier: I felt that I needed to know absolutely everything before I could apply for a job. Over time, however, I realised that in IT, what matters far more is the ability to learn, find solutions and navigate new challenges as they arise,” she said.
Aruna also had to balance intensive studies with family responsibilities. Regular practice and support from instructors and classmates helped her complete the course.
She now works on the server side of an IT product
The training ultimately led to practical work.
Aruna is now part of a small startup that participates in Astana Hub, Kazakhstan’s international technology ecosystem. Her work is focused primarily on the server side of an application.
She implements new features, supports integrations with external systems such as Google Calendar and works with various services.
Working in a small startup also means taking on a wider range of tasks rather than focusing on a narrowly defined part of the product.
For Aruna, that has accelerated the learning process and given her a broader understanding of how software products are built and developed.
“Because our company is a small startup, my responsibilities are quite diverse. This allows me to gain experience quickly, deepen my understanding of software development and develop a broader view of how the product works as a whole,” she said.
More than 3,200 people have switched careers through Tech Orda
Aruna’s case is part of a much larger government-backed effort to expand Kazakhstan’s technology workforce.
According to the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of Kazakhstan, more than 12,500 Kazakhstanis received training through Tech Orda between 2021 and 2026. More than 3,200 participants changed professions and launched careers in IT.
Program monitoring data show that 90% of economically active graduates are employed, with an average monthly salary of 725,000 tenge. According to the ministry, 1,287 companies have hired Tech Orda graduates.
Tech Orda is open to citizens of Kazakhstan aged between 18 and 45. Under its fifth intake, funding covers up to 500,000 tenge for in-person courses and up to 400,000 tenge for online or hybrid programs.
For international readers, the model is notable because the program is not limited to university students or people who already hold computer science degrees. It also targets adults seeking to retrain and enter the technology sector from other professions.
Applications for the new intake close on September 7
The 2026 intake includes software development, artificial intelligence, data analytics, cybersecurity, Cloud & DevOps, GameDev, product management and UI/UX design.
Applications for Tech Orda’s fifth intake are open until September 7, 2026. Details on eligibility, accredited schools and available courses are published through the Astana Hub platform.
Aruna has already moved beyond the first challenge of entering the industry. Her next goal is to specialise further.
“Going forward, I want to grow as a backend engineer, strengthen my technical skills and work on more complex products. Tech Orda gave me the foundation I needed and helped me take my first significant step towards a new career,” she said.
We have also previously covered Kazakhstan’s latest Tech Orda intake and the conditions for receiving up to 500,000 tenge in funding for IT training.
