“My advice for anyone who isn’t sure if a STEM career is for them, or if they can do it is to give it a try.  Accept any help and learn from experts around you. ”

How did you find your way into tech?

My post-school career started in a contact centre, from where I moved to a marketing role and was lucky enough to complete a professional certificate in management which helped me fall back in love with study.

My course tutor suggested I look into a 6Sigma qualification and that is where my love of data began.  I have always been interested in ‘why’ things happen and understanding that data was a great way to get to the root cause made me want to learn to pull my own data, I learned to code and from there my interest in coding, data warehousing, and databases was born.

Building a strong data culture is a gateway to making meaningful change to help improve any organisation and it starts with a tiny piece of code.

Tell us a little about your work

I guess you could call me an unlikely analyst.  I always thought my career would be focused on languages and books; when I was little I wanted to be a librarian and have always been happiest when surrounded by books.

In high school my grades weren’t high enough to allow me to sit Higher Maths – which I now find funny because it’s something that forms a key part of my role every day.

I studied English at university and my careers officer at school had pointed me towards nursing and teaching as potential professions, which maybe says more about the bias or opinions back then than it does about me.

What advice would you offer?

My advice for anyone who isn’t sure if a STEM career is for them, or if they can do it, is to give it a try.  Accept any help and learn from experts around you.

Never let anyone tell you can’t do it, with enough effort and hard work, you can do anything.

I suffer frequently from imposter syndrome, but then I remember they (teachers) told me I wasn’t smart enough to do maths, and I proved them wrong.  So can you.

“Not everyone learns in the same way so explore every avenue to find what works for you!”

How did you find your way into tech?

I originally studied at the University of Stirling for a Diploma of Higher Education in Mathematics and its applications, where I was introduced to some of the technology and techniques found in data science and statistical study. This piqued my interest in a way that other branches of Mathematics did not.

From there I followed articles and had a curiosity for how the statistics we are shown are created. While living in France, a close friend informed me that there was an opening for a Graduate Apprentice in Data Science at Caledonia Housing Association and encouraged me to apply. Following the application and interview process, I find myself on an excellent course and work with wonderful people who have a passion for data and technology.

What does your work involve?

My role currently involves assisting the Strategy and Improvement team at Caledonia HA by using and applying the skills I develop both in class, and through experience and work with the Business Analyst. This could be anything from uploading and collecting the results of an online survey, to helping gather and cleanse data requested from a Neighbourhood Officer.

It is a varied role, with a lot of room for growth and support, with great emphasis on improvement for the team, staff, tenants, and the business overall. I am encouraged to use my classwork to improve processes, systems, and reports that we already have in place.

What do you enjoy about your work?

I truly enjoy the ability to work and learn with an amazing group of people in a variety of fields with a common objective. I have become very good friends with everyone on my course and this allows me to bounce ideas between them and solve problems with new points of view. I also love how I am given freedom to apply the lessons we are taught in class to my work and vice-versa. This allows me to develop my own knowledge with the ability to see exactly how the things we learn in class are acted upon in a real world setting.

What advice would you offer?

Be curious, and seek to explore how the statistics we are shown are actually created. It can be a difficult route at times, but hugely rewarding. I have found excellent friends on my course and I work with an incredible group of women who share my passion for data. Do not allow others to discourage you from personal development, and take every feasible opportunity to explore and develop your skills. Not everyone learns in the same way so explore every avenue to find what works for you!

”…. there’s no better feeling than seeing your code work or learning new avenues of technology”

How did you find your way into tech?

I have recently been hired as a data analytics and visualisation consultant. I started my undergraduate studies in Literature, German and French. A year later I dropped out and travelled for two and half years. I then went back and completed my undergraduate degree in English Literature. Thereafter, I worked my way from a temporary worker in a digital marketing company to being a full-time Media Strategist and then worked my way into a social media marketing/search engine marketing position. It was in this role that I developed a love of technology and data. This role introduced me to the world of technology, specifically web development. I had only known of web development as hardcore coding, but it was through understanding how a web page ranked and the importance of how a website was developed for google ranking that I began to be aware of the simplicity and creativity of web development.

In this time, I had also made a female friend who was a software engineer. I remember asking her how she got into such a role. She told me she had an undergraduate degree in dance and was previously a ballet dancer and that her dad was the one who taught her code. She then told me how anyone could code and that she was trying to get into UX design. It was then that I decided that the intricate world of tech would be for me but not then as I decided to go and travel abroad for another 3 years.

I went and travelled, found my now partner and decided to pursue a career in tech. I searched for a university that would offer a master’s in computing but one that would provide training in web development and UX. The university that I found was Edinburgh Napier University which offered the diverse program I was looking for and had the permaculture Lionsgate. I was extremely intrigued by the Lionsgate project as I had spent years while travelling working on organic permaculture farms. The permaculture Lionsgate is a project that combines sustainability and technology. The Lionsgate sounded like an absolute dream as my sole reason for getting involved in technology is it has the biggest potential for assisting the climate emergency and reversing global warming.

What does your role involve?

From what I’ve understood of the job duties and through my discussion with my future managers, it seems that the role will involve a lot of data analysis. What I’m most looking forward to is working on big projects that will influence stakeholders to make important infrastructure decisions. I’ve also been informed that I will learn how to calculate carbon emissions for each infrastructure project. Thereby, being able to help influence stakeholders to make positive decisions based on the data.

Essentially this role involves the use of data to encourage positive infrastructural growth..

What advice would you offer?

I think you should try a diverse range of tech courses as you would be surprised as to what aspects of technology you find interesting. Computing is an extremely rewarding degree and there’s no better feeling than seeing your code work or learning new avenues of technology.

In terms of gender imbalance on the course I personally didn’t have this experience on my course as my program was very international, which I absolutely loved. Although any of the boys that I worked with on my course seemed just as lost as I was, which made me feel much better as it put this stereotype of boys being more tech savvy to bed as I clearly saw that it wasn’t true. I feel that even if it had been more male than female, I think you would be surprised to learn that everyone is learning together.

”…[Tech] has also been an area with lots of change, so there are always new platforms and developments to make things interesting”

How did you find your way into tech?

My brother is 10 years older than me and when he got interested in computing and studied it at university it meant there was a computer in the house and I started to type out the Basic programmes printed in magazines. It was a slow business, but I got a real satisfaction from it, even though I must only have been about 7 or 8. Years went and I did a degree in English Literature. I went on to work in theatre as a technician and director. I wanted to return to study something and I was torn between computing and music technology. In the end I did a MSc in IT Software and Systems, because I really wanted a broad knowledge. I had no clear idea where it would take me. Though very challenging, I enjoyed the course and discovered the creativity involved in coding. My dissertation project related back to my undergraduate degree as I built an e-learning package for Old English. This is how I moved into the area of learning technology and I’ve worked in a number of universities since. I have done software development, but mostly it has been as a learning technologist and more recently as a lecturer.

What does your role involve?

What I really enjoyed about being a learning technologist was that it involved both technical and the interpersonal skills. I would work closely with an academic to help them realise their ideas for how they wanted to teach online. This would require training them in the use of some tools or platforms, but also in depth conversations about how their students learn, how they teach their subject and what technologies can bring to these activities. Other times I would be trouble-shooting issues with the systems, or more commonly, user mistakes.

There were opportunities to develop my skills in certain areas, such as design or multimedia. It has also been an area with lots of change, so there are always new platforms and developments to make things interesting. When I moved into a lecturing role, I could bring a lot of that on-the-job knowledge to my research and teaching, as I now run the MSc in Blended and Online Education. I really like working in a university as I get to meet and work with people who work in lots of different areas and there are opportunities for continuing professional development.

What advice would you offer?

The market for learning technologists is very competitive since the pandemic and there are now more opportunities to specialise or move into management roles. It’s good to keep an open mind about where you might go and where development opportunities might lead you to. It is also good to feel connected and true to what is important to you. I know that as an undergraduate student I was not as engaged or successful as I could have been, so I’m always mindful that the work I do might be helping other under confident learners be reach their potential.