I’m Emma, a Junior Software Engineer who made the leap into tech after discovering my passion for coding through CodeFirstGirls.
Originally I did an English degree, with my main passion being medieval literature (especially Arthurian literature, I’ve got a tapestry hanging in my living room of a joust in Camelot). Whilst I still adore literature, I found a new creative outlet in software engineering. In my teen years, I built Tumblr themes and played around with HTML and CSS without fully realising the career opportunities in tech. I discovered CFG through an article featuring a girl I’d gone to uni with who had recently completed some courses with CFG. Seeing someone from a non-tech background like me trying these things out really inspired me, so I started with a Python course and a Web Dev course. Those courses reignited my curiosity and set me on the path to my career transition. In one of the first Web Dev courses we made a button and then changed the colour, and seeing that come to life on my screen gave me a feeling I hadn’t experienced in my working career to that point. So far I’ve found in tech that whilst the lows are low, the highs are really high, and I still love the feeling of solving a problem or creating something new.
Since my career change I’ve progressed from an early careers engineer to a junior engineer, and I’ve been really lucky to work on exciting projects that have shaped my interests. I particularly love frontend engineering, although I’ve recently discovered a new appreciation for AWS!
Beyond coding, I’m passionate about psychological safety, women in tech, and outreach. I was a Student Ambassador at university, working on initiatives like the Sutton Trust Summer Schools which gave students from non-fee paying state schools a chance to experience university life for a week. Initiatives like this meant a lot to me personally, as I attended at a Sutton Trust Summer School at 17. Originally my career plan was to work in Outreach at universities after graduation. Before transitioning into tech I was working as an Admissions Officer so hopefully that would’ve been my next step!
Besides work stuff, I’m really into the outdoors. I love hiking, paddleboarding, kayaking, and wild swimming. I’m a keen gamer (although not very good) and I’m still a big reader.
