From Classroom Teacher to Confident Programming Leader: Meet Sr. Curriculum Manager Sarai Fernandez

In this series of interviews with managers across Skillsoft, we aimed to uncover the power skills that play a pivotal role in managing technical teams. Throughout the series, you’ll hear from distinctive technical leaders across the Skillsoft team, ranging from curriculum developers to a director of software engineering, to shed light on the unique challenges technical managers face in people management roles.

As the fast-paced world of education technology ebbs and flows, leaders who blend a passion for teaching with technical expertise are invaluable. One of those leaders is a part of the Skillsoft Codecademy curriculum team. Sarai Fernandez is a Sr. Curriculum Manager focused on data, AI and security course content, where she leads with confidence and competence.

Sarai's path from a classroom teacher to a key leader in the education technology field is a testament to her resilience, adaptability, and unwavering commitment to quality education.

Sarai’s journey into the realm of computer science traces back to her early middle and high school years, where she was drawn to math classes. She then decided to pursue her bachelor's degree at Stanford University, studying Symbolic Systems, where she really began to test her coding and technical knowledge. During her sophomore year she became a teaching assistant for CS106A, Stanford’s introductory programming course. This is where Sarai found fulfillment in supporting her peers learning and began to grow confidence in her own programming skills. During her time as a TA, she recalls developing her problem-solving and communication skills, while also growing as a leader and as a teacher.

“I have been interested in education for a very long time. I first realized I could be interested in becoming a teacher when I began tutoring in high school. It was something I had an immediate passion for. It continued throughout college where my fellow classmates often knew me as someone passionate and interested in computer science. I do think my excitement for coding and my interest in mentoring young learners was the reason I accepted my first teaching job post-grad.” 

After graduating, Sarai landed a job at a private school where she was tasked with designing and teaching the computer science curriculum for young students ranging from kindergarten to 8th grade. During her time there, she built a computer science department with an engaging curriculum that included lessons on Python, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, Scratch and computational thinking. In her time as an educator, she also collaborated with other teachers and specialists to create relevant, cross-curricular lessons and projects to help develop the student's computer skills.

“Our administrators didn't just want a teacher, they wanted someone who could design a full computer science curriculum for the whole entire school [K-8]. This role really challenges my critical thinking and time management skills. I always had a plan, but sometimes when you sit down with a 2^nd grader or an administrator that plan has to change.  I learned to be really adaptable and refine my communication so that I could effectively convey the value to whoever the audience was.” 

While this role was incredibly fulfilling, the demands of teaching and the lack of work life balance eventually resulted in Sarai experiencing burn out. She knew she still wanted to help others learn, but now needed to find a more sustainable way to pursue that in her career.  

Sarai was looking for a balance between teaching others, using her programming expertise, and having time to live her life outside of work. She found herself pursuing roles within the education technology space and landed her first role as a Curriculum Developer at an e-learning company in 2019. 

During her time at the company, she partnered with technical subject matter experts that specialized in Java, Cloud and Cybersecurity content to design active and project-based learning experiences. She found that this role and the education technology field better aligned with her personal career objectives. Sarai spent time developing cross-functional relationships and honing her curriculum development skills. After a year, Sarai felt she had learned everything she could in her current role and was ready to continue moving forward in her career. She was ready to be challenged again and wanted to keep learning and developing her skills.  

Transitioning into a people manager role within the edtech space would provide her a perfect opportunity to continue teaching and mentoring others while also putting her vast technical knowledge to work. It was in 2021 when Sarai joined the Codecademy organization as a Sr. Curriculum Developer specializing in cybersecurity course development. She aligned with Codecademy’s mission of making programming and developer content more accessible for anyone looking to learn to code. It was here that she had the opportunity to put her power skills and coding expertise to the test when a team lead position opened up.  

At the time, Sarai was asked to serve as the interim manager. This opportunity allowed Sarai to test her own skills and see if people management was really the direction she wanted to head in. She found herself loving the opportunity to provide direction to the team and help her peers as they refined their instructional design skills.  

After six months, and no suitable replacement, she approached the department head and formally requested the promotion. Sarai felt that, after dedicating six months to learning the team and the key responsibilities of the manager role, she was the best person for the job. 

From grade school computer science teacher to expert curriculum developer, Sarai exhibited exceptional leadership skills like communication, decision-making, agility and compassion. She reinforced her belief in her own coding skills, her ability to lead with care and reinforced her self-assurance. 

She is now the Sr. Manager of all data, AI and security for Skillsoft. In her role, Sarai leads a global team of instructional designers and content strategists that contribute to creating all data, AI, and cybersecurity course content.  

What Sarai didn’t know was how the adversity she faced as a teacher helped prepare her for her future roles in corporate America. Sarai described one instance where she came toe to toe with a male colleague who doubted her expertise. But when faced with this colleague telling her how something ‘should’ be done, Sarai learned to rely on her own knowledge and what she believed was right. Having those types of difficult conversations early in her career helped her build confidence in her expertise and moreover build resilience for future technical roles.

While these experiences certainly helped her build a thick skin, Sarai still faced the same self-doubt all new people managers face.  

“I think what made me nervous to make the transition to people management were the obvious questions like: Do I truly know the right answer? Am I going to make the right decision? Will people listen to me? Do I have the right amount of expertise? What do I do if people don't listen to me or if things don't go right?” 

Sarai’s management philosophy has helped her team grow and develop their confidence. She prioritizes providing her direct reports opportunities to try new things and test their knowledge just like she did in her early career. Using this methodology, she has developed a competent team which creates data, AI, and cybersecurity curriculum that teaches learners how to thrive in the modern technology landscape.  

“I like to follow the ‘I do, we do, you do’ method. For example, maybe they’ve seen me do something, that’s ‘I do’. Then they practice it with me, that’s ‘we do’, and then they go off and do it themselves without me, that’s the ‘you do’. I find that this helps build my teams confidence, but also gives them a chance to refine and practice their approach before having to do it on their own.” 

By instilling confidence and competence in her team, Sarai not only empowers her direct reports but also creates a supportive environment where everyone can thrive and succeed.  

Confident tech leaders built capable teams.