My journey into tech was unorthodox. Originally, I studied Art at college, before going to university to study Art History, but found the environment wasn’t right for me. I therefore left and took a few different jobs in retail, administration and social care.
After a career break due to illness, I signed up for the Summer Internship Scheme which had been introduced by the government after the first COVID lockdown. Hoping for a job in a new industry, I mentioned in my application that I had previously used HTML and CSS (briefly, as a teenager).
A quick phone followed where a potential web design and development internship role was discussed and, feeling a little overwhelmed by some of the unfamiliar technologies mentioned, I crammed an online course on how to build a website in the week leading up to my start date.
I got to learn on the job, working on a range of projects at various stages of completion, from updating pages to building websites from scratch, whilst also undertaking additional learning in my spare time.
Before my six-week internship finished, I was offered a full-time role at the company, where I have grown to lead the development portion of projects.
Working in a small team means my role is varied, I organise projects, manage accounts, deliver technical support, and assist with company operations and new business development. All while continuing to expand my knowledge of frontend and backend disciplines, and complementary disciplines including digital marketing.
I’m especially passionate about using tech to improve accessibility, sustainability and for exploring opportunities to create tech solutions that have real-world, positive impact.
Outside of work I’ve taken part in TechSprints with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). One of these involved working on problems surrounding ESG (an Environment, Social and Government framework).
As a developer in the FCA’s Women’s Economic Empowerment MiniSprint, our team won with our prototype app designed to help victims of domestic abuse gain financial independence.
I’m also a co-organiser for the Google Developer Group Douglas chapter, delivering monthly meetups and online education on cloud technologies.
What I really love about working in tech is being able to create something out of nothing; the fusion of creativity, technical knowledge and logic; and how you can take it anywhere to solve such a broad spectrum of issues, collaborating with a wide range of people across different disciplines, industries and countries.
