Before studying at CodeClan, I worked for a Cabinet Minister
in Westminster and later as a third sector lobbyist in the debt
sector. My experience in both inspired me to leave the security and
comfort of my job and learn software development.
One evening, I was heading to an open jobs night in my
industry - public affairs - when my wife texted to tell me she had
seen a Facebook post about a Glasgow CodeClan information night and
had got me a ticket. I attended and from that night I knew I was
going to get on the course and do it.
I am now into my 10th week at CodeClan. Three weeks
ago, I barely knew Java. Last week, I created and presented an
Android app I wrote entirely from scratch. The instructors are
first rate. They manage to strike the perfect balance of leading
you and pushing you to achieve more and more.
When I signed up for CodeClan, I had not done any real
programming. I had built a few websites here and there. I wanted to
be involved, but trying to balance a job and commitments with
learning programming is a challenge.
It's a big risk. You're without a salary, but your
mortgage and Council Tax don't get paused. I'm very lucky to have a
supportive wife who actively encouraged me to do the
course.
We're very conscious of our finances - we started and run a
business together, we founded a charity and managed its finances,
and we create and follow budgets for our personal finances. Money's
a big part of life, and the tech sector is revolutionising how
consumers spend, track and invest money. I want to be part of
helping people make the best financial decisions for them - and
help people understand their money better.
It is true that learning programming is hard. You are
going to struggle. You're going to beat yourself up for not
understanding something. You'll encounter bugs in your code every
single day. You'll also have days where something will click and
you'll be able to race through it.
The setup at CodeClan is such I believe anyone would
come out the other side as an excellent programmer. You don't need
to be a maths whizz. You don't need to be able to solve cryptic
crosswords with ease. You need a positive attitude and an open
mind.
I feel ready to start looking at jobs - and I'll be
hoping to land one at one of the many great companies based in the
IFSD. There's so much exciting tech development in the sector, and
I'm going to be working hard to ensure that I'm contributing to or
leading that change in the future.
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