An introduction to coding and website building
When Isaac Dalglish first heard about Skills Bootcamps run by Tech Educators, he was uncertain of his future career path. “I’d just completed my higher education diploma in Humanities & Social Sciences but didn’t know what to do next. Software development wasn’t on my radar until I saw Suffolk County Council had organised these fully funded courses and decided to take a closer look”
Isaac had always been interested in computers and had even built his own PC, but he’d never received any formal education in the topic. “Our school did not offer computing or coding courses, so the only experience I’d had with them was playing and modifying games and joining online communities. I thought of them as something for fun and relaxation, not something from which to make a living.”
Suffolk County Council offers a range of Skills Bootcamps funded by the Department for Education, with five focused on the creative and digital industries. They include two that Tech Educators in Norwich run: Software Development – level 4, and Unity Gaming – level 4. Both are open to people living or working in Suffolk and Norfolk and they can do them entirely online, or in person.
“I saw the game-dev course first,” says Isaac, “but I didn’t think it was the right career for me. However, the dev-ops course sounded interesting because it focused on the foundational skills for building web apps and websites, which seemed like a good place to start. That said, I did not know what to expect or whether it would suit me – not least because I’d recently received an ADHD and autism diagnosis.”
A structured approach to software skills development
Students can complete the 12-week Software Developers course entirely online, but Tech Educators also offers in-person training at their offices in central Norwich. As Marketing and Operations Manager, Rich Saunders, explains: “Our mission is to cultivate tech talent – and we try to make our courses accessible to everyone, regardless of circumstances. That includes trying to accommodate preferences for in-person, online or blended learning in a friendly and supportive environment.”
Isaac decided he should at least give the in-person, 3-hour taster session a shot. This is the first of the course’s five main sections. It allows students to get their hands on some code and to find out if the Tech Educators experience – and the industry – is for them.
“I really enjoyed it,” says Isaac, “which was a bit surprising because a room full of strangers can be quite intimidating to someone with autism. But everyone was really friendly and easy to get on with – which almost immediately created a genuine sense of community with the tutors and students. They also split us into small groups and let us loose on some code, so we were quickly working together on creating the first bit of our own website.”
The four main sections of the course, after the taster session, cover:
- The foundations of Software Development – using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and code libraries to create fully functional web apps.
- Intermediate Software Development – creating and deploying web apps in React and PostgreSQL, using third-party APIs and code libraries.
- Project Weeks – putting together everything you've learned and practicing team working skills.
- Career support – meeting experienced developers to find out what the industry is really like.
Tech Educators also provides six months of ongoing support to help students transition into work.
Intensive courses deliver real world results
These Skills Bootcamps require students to put in a full working week – however, the rewards are worth it says Isaac. “It seems a lot at first because you’re learning so much, but the tutors encourage you to take regular breaks and take care of your mental health. They also explain things really well, with a clear structure that introduces simple concepts then builds up to more complex topics.”
Isaac also found the project work engaging – so much so that he would sometimes end up writing code for them over the weekend. “That’s not strictly necessary,” admits Isaac, “although it helps to put in some out of office hours. It’s part of my personality that I can focus deeply on a project, but they were fun and really interesting.
“At first, you’re just building basic elements of a web page, but you quickly move on to making it look good and then adding functionality before finally running the code for a fully working website. It’s obviously not possible to cover everything but it gives you a strong grounding in software development concepts that then enables you to learn much quicker when you are in work.”
From uncertain start to confident finish and a new job in 4 months
The course that Isaac took ran from March to June 2024, but he did not have a job to go to at the end. “I only started looking for work when the course was over but then got really lucky. I saw a junior developer role advertised online for a bespoke kitchen design company in Norfolk. They sent me a test involving 3D modelling, which we had not specifically covered on the course. However, the Skills Bootcamp had taught me how to look up relevant code libraries and apply that knowledge.”
Isaac was delighted when he got an interview and then got the job, developing 3D kitchen planning software for the company. “Four months into my job and I’m loving it – not least because the foundational knowledge gained on the Skills Bootcamp is still relevant. I can understand the concepts colleagues throw at me, then ask relevant questions and continue learning from their answers.”
That goes for new coding languages too. “We mainly focused on Java Script on the Skills Bootcamp – but I have had to pick up a new language at work. However, that has been fairly easy because the basics of computer languages are quite similar and knowing the core terms means I can quickly see how they work in a new language. There’s always something new to learn and my skills and confidence have increased massively in just a few months, which makes the work interesting and fun.”
Build your software development career with Skills Bootcamps
These Skills Bootcamps are free for individuals, but local businesses can also use them, for a small fee, to develop their software teams (email our Business Skills Broker, Bev Wallman, to find out how: Bev.Wallman@suffolk.gov.uk).
As Isaac says, “It’s an excellent way to get into coding – which is essentially problem solving, so if you enjoy figuring out puzzles you might enjoy being a developer. The no-obligation taster day is a really useful way to find out if it’s for you – and if it is, then the rewards can really make the work worth it.”
Thank you, Isaac, for sharing your experience with Tech Educators. We are keen to see more people and businesses in Norfolk and Suffolk benefit from our range of Creative and Digital Skills Bootcamps. To find out how you can upskill for a new career in cyber security, data management, games design or software development, please visit our creative and digital webpage.
