Coding and creating, with fabulous nails

ABOUT ME

What drove me to persue coding and programming?

I wanted to get into this field so that I am equipped with the skills to one day make a difference to the way information is used.

My first experience of using automation was about fourteen years ago when I came up with a solution at work, using Excel to create an automated template for letters and billing forms; I designed a tool that saved about eight hours of work per week based on a few IF & AND statements. The fact that I could save so many work hours by investing a little time in a spreadsheet and macro spoke volumes to me. This showed me the strong link between mathematical knowledge and its practical application within programming.

My self-teaching continued in this way, until I was able to get a job as a Technical Support Agent. The main challenge involved effectively communicating with business end-users who mostly, were not very savvy with a computer. I also used to run Microsoft Excel classes for my colleagues, I enjoyed teaching other people new skills and it helped me to reinforce my knowledge of the software.

My role as a Blogger and Search Engine Optimiser saw me teach myself HTML and cultivated my interest in Web 2.0. Part of my time was spent attending networking events held by “Women In Technology”, meeting with other like-minded webmasters/bloggers and building relationships for the future. Work life in general has taught me how to be diplomatic, organised to meet reporting deadlines, how to hold and direct a meeting and deputise in the event that a manager was on holiday or sick leave. Whilst I enjoyed the roles, I wanted to better my understanding of what goes on behind the machine and have since developed a particular interest in informatics and programming.

The best decision I have made is to return to education and I have found it very easy to adapt to the change. I never thought I would enjoy maths, but found myself easily dealing with binary problems and advanced geometry. My favourite Computer Science subjects tend to be geared towards the creative and coding side of the subject, but I have also enjoyed making algorithms and embedded programming with micro-controllers.

Since then I have played with many different languages in different projects. Including but not limited to Java, C++, embedded C, Assembly, Visual Basic, SQL, JavaScript, PHP, HTML and CSS. My dream is to make creative code.