After working in social care and education I got really interested in technology and decided to go for a career change.
How did you land your current role? Was it planned?
Not really, I knew I wanted a career change and started looking at roles but didn’t know
testing existed. I was looking for entry roles and I found a bootcamp for testing that seemed
too good to be true but it was actually real! It was my first step into tech. I worked there as a
consultant for about 3 years and decided I wanted a more permanent role. And then I found
Bloom & Wild and l’ve been here since 2021.
What are you most proud of in your career, so far?
To have taken the leap of faith to follow what my intuition was calling me to, to start a new
career in an unknown field to me, learn everything from scratch (a lot of it on the go! And I
really mean I started from scratch, I didn’t even know how to take a screenshot!) and to find
myself really enjoying my work, learning every day, ups and downs and all.
What does an average work day look like for you?
I usually start by checking slack, my emails and my calendar to make sure I am ready and
organised for the day. I like to set myself a couple of priorities so my goals for the day are
clear. I have my team stand up at 9:30 and then usually it’s a mix of meetings with different
people across my squad and the business to work together on projects and focus time for
me to review requirements, write automated tests, do some exploratory testing, plan future
work and lately also learning how to introduce AI to help me with different tasks.
Has anyone ever tried to stop you from learning and developing in your professional
career?
Yes, and at the same time I have had many people do the exact opposite, giving me
opportunities, believing in me and helping me build my confidence and skills. It’s key to
choose who to listen to and find people you trust to talk about any challenges you encounter
and get support through it. Something that helps me is to remember that how someone sees
you says more about themselves and their biases than about you.
Have you ever faced insecurities and anxieties during your career, and how did you overcome them?
Yes, every day! When I started I found the first few months really hard. I couldn’t understand
everything I needed to do, felt like I was always too slow and I was worried I’d be bothering
other people for asking for help too often. As my career has progressed, I find that I get
confident in a skill just to find there’s another new thing I need to learn. What has helped me
through it all is to be persistent and remember the other side of the coin: the joy when
something finally clicks and understanding how things work. It’s also been key to ask for help
when I’m stuck. My colleagues, communities and mentors have been life changing.
Another thing I started quite recently is that I keep a list of things I do well and things that I
am proud of since my inner critic is a bit loud and it helps to have evidence against what it
says!
Entering the world of work can be daunting. Do you have any words of advice for anyone feeling overwhelmed? Any advice for women wanting to reach their career goals in technology?
Take one step at a time and trust the journey. Ask for help and offer help too! Having a
community to support you and to contribute to will keep you motivated and grounded. Also if
you’re changing careers remember that transferable skills are more than a buzzword! You
bring so much valuable knowledge and experience with you that you can offer to your new
roles.
