My Tech Transformation!
Our marketing manager Serena reflects on her tech journey and her next exciting steps.
Words such as ‘GitHub, JavaScript, CSS, online accessibility’ were not part of my life, and honestly, I thought I was fine with this- I didn’t know what I was missing out on! In my career, I’ve been motivated by doing good and creating real, positive change and thought I could only achieve this by working for a not-for-profit. I never saw myself working for a tech company. My main motivations for joining 23 Code Street were to enable women, both here in the UK and India, to gain confidence and technical skills.
By becoming part of the 23CS fam, I’ve had a total tech transformation and learnt SO much.
I’ve learnt how AMAZING coding is and how learning to code really can change lives. And if your code isn’t working — it’s probably because you’re missing a semi-colon. 🤣
I’ve learnt that you can combine your passions with tech and use it to solve some of our world’s biggest problems.
I’ve learnt how to create a truly inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome.
I’ve learnt about some truly incredible women in tech, both past and present, who I can’t believe I didn’t know about before.
I’ve learnt about a whole other side of the startup/ tech world; I now know about the lean canvas model, agile and waterfall methodology, wireframing, sprints and about a bunch jobs I never knew existed — UX/UI designers, scrum masters and product managers… which brings me to my news. Over the past year, I’ve become very interested in product management and will soon be leaving 23 Code Street to start working as a junior product manager! I’m very excited (and a bit nervous!) about this new step in my career.
Working at 23 Code Street has been an adventure and one of my highlights is the incredible people I’ve been lucky to meet and become friends with. From the incredible 23 Code Street team to our inspiring students/ graduates. Its been great to see our students complete our course, have a huge confidence boost and go on to do incredible things.
I’ve also loved working in an inclusive and diverse environment where I can be myself every day. It’s been especially inspiring to work in the same space as so many phenomenal women — seeing Rachel, the co-founder of Afrocenchix, come to the office with her two small children and run her business has shown me what the future of work should be.
Best of all, I have gained a work-family made up of some of the smartest and most passionate people I know — thank you team Amaliah, YSYS and Backstage Capital for constantly supporting me, helping me learn and making me laugh! And a HUGE thank you to Anisah for giving me this opportunity, teaching me so much, and for always believing in me. Here’s to the next adventure!
We’re looking to hire our next marketing manager. If you’re interested in applying click here to read the job description. If you want to find out more info or have any questions — send an email to serena@23codestreet.com.
