David explains how he future proofed his career with our software development course.
Before CodeClan I was a Wholesale Account Executive for an e-cigarette manufacturer. I’d studied Sound Production at college and went on to study Audio Technology with Multimedia at university.
I’ve always been techie. I’m creative and I wanted the opportunity to build something innovative that would be used by people in everyday situations.
The money, progression and job security of being in a future proof industry appealed to me about software development.
I tried Codecademy and really enjoyed understanding the very basics and fundamentals at the start. It’s a big confidence boost being able to understand a concept and making it work.
It was exciting thinking about what I was learning and what it could lead to. If I was ever stuck on something (which was a lot), I’d be surprised about how easily it came the next day or after a break.
A new learning environment
I chose the 16-week course because of the job opportunities through employer partners. I went to an info session and was told about what the course involved and how what we’d be learning was relevant in the industry today. The rates of employment were also encouraging.
It took me about a year to prepare financially for the course. My job had a base salary as well as commission, so I was driven to make as many deals as possible to save up.
I had to be very disciplined with money when taking into account rent and bills on top of having to save. I didn’t have any luxuries and had a pretty stripped back lifestyle leading up to and during the course.
Preparing for more than four months of living day-to-day without a salary is as important as preparing for the course fees. It’s a bit daunting and it’s not easy, but it really is all worth it in the end. CodeClan does offer payment in instalments, which helps.
The atmosphere at CodeClan in general is very social and interactive. You spend so much time with the cohort learning and working together that it’s really easy to get to know people well, everybody is collaborative and supportive which makes it a great environment to learn in and get to know people. I’ve made a lot of good friends.
On Thursdays we’d all go out for a few drinks after classes as it’s the only day without being given any homework.
We ended up using our Thursday nights out as the inspiration for our group project!
Reaching your potential
I’m now working in a junior developer role for the NHS. I help to make websites and applications for a variety of different schemes within the NHS.
The remit of my job is to work to help reduce health inequality in Scotland, therefore a lot of focus is on making our array of websites and applications accessible for people with learning difficulties and impairments, allowing everybody access to the healthcare and information they need.
I think that if you’re not happy about what you do or where you work then it can be changed. It’s never too late to reach your potential and surprise yourself with what can be achieved in such a short time with hard work and dedication.
The course is very challenging but opens your eyes to what you’re really capable of and pushes you to your limit where you will learn more than just writing good code.
The possibilities and opportunities in such a huge industry are exciting and makes you think about what you could be doing as a new career in a matter of months.
Try out Codecademy, go to a tech meetup and an info session at CodeClan to get the ball rolling.
Find out more about our Professional Software Development course or come along to our next info session in Edinburgh or Glasgow.
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