Fremont, California
Sayra
Bhullar
Aspiring software developer, formerly practicing law
After 3 years in legal practice, spotting gaps in systems, documenting findings precisely, and thinking through risk step by step became second nature. In 2024 I earned the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate and started working through TryHackMe labs in networking, Linux, and web vulnerabilities, which sharpened those instincts and pointed me toward something more hands on: writing the systems, not just auditing them. I'm now taking coursework across front end, back end, and full stack development to find where that skill set fits best.
The pivot
From legal logic to computational logic
"In law, every argument rests on rules applied to facts, tested until they hold. Code runs on the same principle."
Since 2024, I've been building a self directed path from legal reasoning into programming: practicing Linux, learning SQL, and training myself to break a problem down the way a program does, rule by rule, until it's structured and testable.
Front end
Interfaces people rely on
Laying out information for someone reading it quickly, under pressure. Familiar territory from writing legal briefs.
Back end
Systems and structure
Years auditing databases and keeping records accurate point naturally toward this side of the stack.
Full stack
Possibly both
Taking coursework across the stack before committing to one lane, on purpose.
Right now
What I'm working through
Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate
Completed through Coursera. Covered network fundamentals, security operations, and incident response.
Coursera, 2024TryHackMe labs
Working through network protocols (TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP), Linux administration, and web vulnerabilities including SQL injection and XSS.
2024, ongoingIndependent study in programming
Self directed curriculum in Python scripting, focused on automation and applying the SDLC to see where security fits into development.
2024, ongoingSoftware development coursework
Currently taking classes across front end, back end, and full stack to figure out where I want to specialize.
In progressExperience
Where I've worked
Polo Ralph Lauren
Brand Ambassador- Worked a fast moving retail floor that required accurate product knowledge, clear communication with a wide range of customers, and consistent adherence to company standards.
- Managed inventory tracking and reporting, keeping records aligned with store compliance requirements.
Americas B.P.S. / IQ Outsourcing
Back Office Notifications Analyst, Legal Data Systems- Audited and managed high volume legal databases to keep administrative notifications accurate, work that called for the same attention to detail as log review and compliance monitoring.
- Designed a personal verification workflow for administrative acts that reduced procedural errors and kept filings within strict legal deadlines.
- Onboarded to proprietary platforms, Documentic and Cromasoft, within a week and reached full productivity ahead of schedule, a pattern that has repeated with every new technical tool since.
Council of the Assemblies of God
Data Recovery and Collection Manager- Led a full audit of social security payment records, identifying data discrepancies across large datasets and reducing alleged debt exposure by more than 60 percent through systematic record purging.
- Built and maintained the organization's data integrity process from the ground up, documenting procedures and training staff on verification standards.
Education
Degrees and certificates
Toolkit
Skills so far
Building toward a developer toolkit, starting from what seven years of legal and data work already put in place.