Learn about the CodeClan team – their career journey so far, their passions and interests, as well as their day to day work life.
Meet Hannah, an Instructor at CodeClan. We had a chat with her about why she chose to work at CodeClan, her advice for those looking to change their career, and what she gets up to in her free time…
Tell us a bit about your role and why you wanted to join the CodeClan team
I was a student of CodeClan – I was part of the 21st Professional Software Development cohort in Edinburgh (affectionately known as E21) and I absolutely loved it! The learning environment to the social elements to the excellent instructors and staff made me have the most amazing experience. After graduating I went on to work for nine months with one of CodeClan’s partners. When I decided I wanted a change I was encouraged to apply for a Teaching Assistant role at CodeClan. It was one of the best decisions I made!!
I’m currently an Instructor teaching the Professional Software Development Course.
What did you do before joining CodeClan?
Before I was a student at CodeClan I was working in the NHS as a Medical Photographer, it was an amazing job and I learnt so much from it but I did need a change from all the blood and gore. It’s a role with high standards and you need to be able to work quickly and effectively while using different types of communication – either to a patient who has no idea what is going on or to a highly skilled surgeon who needs a very precise photograph of their work! I sometimes find that these communication skills are so suitable to teaching code! Within that role I was doing graphic design work which is part of the reason I wanted to learn more about front-end work and how to create my own websites.
What’s your favourite part of the job?
My favourite part is seeing the progress and improvement of the students throughout the course. The confidence increase after 16 weeks is crazy to see the difference! I especially love working with our female students. Stats from Tech Nation suggest only 19% of the tech workforce are women so I do my best to encourage and support the female students at CodeClan as much as possible! And when I see the students graduate from the course and achieve such amazing new roles it really makes me happy!
What advice do you have for someone who is thinking of studying at CodeClan?
As soon as you feel able to start, you should just go for it!! It’s so worth it and you will gain the skills to start a very exciting new job sooner! WHY WAIT?! I loved the Professional Software Development course but I would now be tempted to look at the Professional Data Analysis course as that looks amazing, it wasn’t an option when I was a student!
What do you get up to in your free time?
I love to socialise with my friends and family in my free time. Either at a pub or doing a fun activity. I like to watch rugby games, currently supporting Edinburgh and Scotland teams. I am very excited for cinemas to be able to reopen as I really enjoy films!
What’s your favourite book?
I LOVE reading, and I honestly couldn’t pick a favourite. One I did read most recently was “I AM, I AM, I AM” by Maggie O’Farrell who is an Edinburgh author and the book is about her 17 brushes with death. I would highly recommend.
