application.
about me
I'm a self-taught developer, and I'm applying to Founders and Coders to turn my dream of becoming a professional software engineer into a reality!
I’ve been learning to code in my evenings and weekends for the last 9 months and I love it! In fact, I’d go so far as to say that I’m obsessed, which I think is a pretty cool way to start a career.
Currently, I work as a caseworker for a homeless charity but I’m committed to switching into a career that will get my brain buzzing more, challenge me from more angles and allow me to make the best contribution to society that I can.
I've worked in the third sector for the last three years, first working for a charity trying to make the finance system fairer, before moving into my current role. I've been volunteering within the homelessness sector for the last 8 years so I’m well aware of the strengths and limitations of frontline work.
Now, I want to make a broader impact, and pursue a career which will one day allow me to contribute to solving social issues on a larger scale. I hope to combine my technical ability and softer skills to have a greater impact than I can achieve on the frontline.
But a woman is more than her work, so before I tell you why I'd love to be part of your Spring 2021 cohort, I'd like to take a moment to tell you a little bit more about me and some others things I'm passionate about...
why programming?
why fac?
Technology is exciting! The potential for good that programming holds is immense and I want to help create systems and products that make people’s lives better.
I’ve come a long way in the last 9 months and I’m now ready to study full-time, put in the hours that I haven’t been able to whilst working, and take the biggest step yet towards finding my first programming role. Having explored a variety of options, I want to take this step with Founders and Coders.
FAC’s model of peer-led, collaborative learning was a huge draw for me and, having been part of the community since April, I believe it works so well because of the diversity of your applicants and cohorts.
It’s been empowering to dial-in to the weekly Zoom calls and pair-code with a group of applicants who I can really identify and connect with. I’ve never had as much fun learning as during those Zoom meet-ups; I always leave the calls feeling motivated and happy. The answers to katas that I have solved by collaborating with others are always stronger than when I’ve worked alone, and I believe it’s because the code is the product of diversity of thought. It’s helped me appreciate the value of collaboration in this career.
It has also been rewarding to share the knowledge I’ve gained during my weekly coaching sessions with other applicants as we pair-code; it’s been fulfilling to contribute to others’ growth as well as my own.
Founders and Coders is a special organisation for so many reasons, but most importantly for its ethos of inclusivity and its commitment to increasing diversity in the tech industry, which it puts into practice.
As a woman, being a software developer was never a career which felt obviously available to me. According to current stats, women make up around 11% of programmers in the world, whilst non-binary and trans people make up less than 1%. Until I met one of your alumni last year, I had never met a female software engineer, but being part of FAC’s community has presented me with role models to look up to, a safe environment to make mistakes in and a sense of mutual support.
I also know that my inclusion in the industry would only be a small step towards its necessary diversification. The answer to diversity in the tech industry is not to simply hire a bunch of white women and call it equality. We know that code can take on the biases of the coder, even if unconscious, which is why it is so important for the tech industry to be both diverse and for its workforce to be educated about diversity. To that end I know it is also my responsibility to continue to educate myself, to use any privilege I have to make space for other women and minorities, and to amplify their voices.
How can we attract more diverse talent to the industry and create an environment which retains and champions that talent? Two complex questions, but I think FAC is already demonstrating a crucial first step: work hard to co-create an inclusive, supportive environment for all types of people to learn, improve and flourish together. Listening to, and learning from, each other is vital.
The experience that I have had with FAC over the past few months is exactly what I hope the tech industry to one day be, but which I know it is not yet: a welcoming environment which champions diversity.
It would be an honour to contribute to this inclusive, fun, determined cohort in Spring 2021, and the Founders and Coders community in the future.
what I'll bring to the cohort
- Commitment and determination. I am fully committed to helping to create a welcoming, inclusive environment within the cohort and within the wider tech industry. I’m determined to achieve my aim of becoming a software engineer, and to do this alongside the friends I have made, and hope to continue making, on the course.
-
A passion to improve. I am ready to use my strengths to help my peers and to learn from them in areas where I need to improve (...such as learning how to make a floating button work over a child grid). That way, we will build a full set of industry-ready skills together. I could bring to the cohort the skills I learned teaching English in the classroom in Spain and during peer-to-peer English>Spanish language-exchanges. -
Third sector user experience. You learn more from what goes wrong than what goes right. As a frontline worker in local government, I currently work with a slow, limiting database which massively inhibits my capabilities in the role. I believe that my experiences of using bad tech have helped me to design a simple, effective webpage and I hope that I can combine this experience with my peers’ to create even stronger code as we progress. -
Problem-solving. My current work requires a lot of decision-making under pressure, so I’m well versed in time-limited actions and solving unique problems. In my role, each case is different and each circumstance unique, though of course, there are often common patterns, much like in coding. Under pressure, I have learnt to be calm and proactive, to use the support available to be and crucially, to give my support when it is needed by others. In my previous role, I worked closely with Fintech, which exposed me to the cutting edge of new technologies and how they can be used for good. It’s also important to look critically at the rate at which technology reshapes industries and the impact this has. I often wonder if enough people working in tech are constructively critical of its own powers; I think more people should be. I will also bring this critical perspective to our design work. -
Baked goods. I love making treats, so once lockdown is lifted, they’d be making their way into Space 4 for everyone to enjoy.
My technical skills include:
Javascript, HTML, CSS,
VS Code, Sketch,
Responsive Design
Find me on
