Toni Warren, 35,

The mantra that guides Toni Warren’s life is simple to say, harder to execute: If it’s time to change, do it. Invest in yourself.     

After working in event marketing, for example, Warren realized she wanted to make a big career change. She was also interested in a better work-life balance and wanted to get into technology. So she invested in an MBA at the University of Tampa.

Today, as president of Suncoast Developers Guild, a three-month immersive computer coding school in St. Petersburg, Warren encourages others to invest in education and make a career shift. The school, which Warren says is the state’s first nonprofit coding school, opened its first class this summer, once it received licensing from the Florida Department of Education.