What do you do at Nimble and what does a typical day look like for you?
My days at the moment are all about learning, each day is varied but can consist of internal training from fellow nimblers on different subjects – so far I have been trained on agile and scrum and been slowly introduced to a client tech stack and given resources to help with my own self-directed learning.
Also as the first academy participant I’m involved in providing feedback and helping shape the design and future of the academy not only for myself but for the next person who follows on.
Knowing I’m helping build a supportive ecosystem to bring more people into the tech industry is really rewarding and also shows how Nimble is a company that really does care about the next generation of software developers and wants to help nurture this talent.
How did you get into your current role?
I worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 13 years and truth be told I needed a change. I was involved in managing software teams and online marketing as part of my previous roles and always had an interest in software engineering, but I did not know how to make the transition into the tech industry as there is whole world of languages and resources and it can be scary and overwhelming and you are not sure where to start.
I saw an ad for a free coding bootcamp (school of code), I applied and the rest as they say is history – it was a big gamble to switch careers in my mid-30s with no idea if it would pay off, but I am delighted it did and so thrilled Nimble saw my potential and took a chance on me.
What do you enjoy most about working at Nimble?
The openness and transparency, everyone is trusted to do the job and from what I have seen so far, they really do put people first. If you need to talk to someone (and it doesn’t have to be work related) you can reach out and someone will be free to chat.
What excites you the most about what you do?
The endless possibilities of building a product and being exposed to new technologies.
Being part of a tech consultancy means as you move from one client to another you may not work on the same tech stack or type of product – this will really accelerate my learning and set me up really well for my future career.
Is there any work you’re particularly proud of?
I’d refer back to my own portfolio and my cocktail recipe website I built after 6 weeks of being on my bootcamp – it has gone down very well with everyone here at nimble (I wonder why???)
What have you learned since you started at Nimble?
Not to be too hard on myself, you cannot know everything just take your time and know the support is there and can ask for help if you need it.
Any top tips for people starting out in a role like yours?
Make sure you have a readMe on your github, have your commit stats visible and you have at least 3-4 projects available to highlight your abilities. Also build a personal website to help build your ‘brand’ and something to point potential employers to so they can see what you can do.
What do you enjoy outside of work?
Walking my two dogs (Milo and Phoebe), circus/acrobatics – love hanging around upside down on a trapeze, hoop or silk gives you a new perspective on the world and really gets my creative juices flowing and most importantly mixology/cocktails.
What technology are you looking forward to in the future?
The metaverse and augmented reality, cannot wait to have a high fidelity virtual overlay in my glasses – will make google maps so much easier than staring at my phone trying to figure out how to get to wherever I am going or find my way when lost!
