Meet Our Women In Tech: Michelle Bryant

Happy Tuesday! This week Coder Academy’s Women In Tech interview is taking you to beautiful and sunny Brisbane! If you’re new to our WIT blog series, our aim is to showcase the inspiring, passionate and committed women we meet every day as we do our bit to increase female representation inside the tech industry. Every 6 months, three talented Australian women across our Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane campuses are offered the opportunity to receive a scholarship that covers 50% of their Fast Track studies so they can pursue their tech aspirations.

This week, we’d like you to meet Michelle Bryant, Coder Academy’s current ‘Women In Tech’ recipient based in Brisbane.

Hey Michelle! First of all, tell us what you were doing before Coder Academy.

Before Coder Academy I was a High School Math and Science Teacher.

Why did you want to get into technology, and more specifically, coding?

Previously I was a part of a STEM Elite teaching program which looked at bringing more engaging techniques to retain more students in STEM subjects into schools. Although I taught math and science, I always saw that the technology aspects of STEM were more interactive, challenging and rewarding in the real world. I really enjoyed coding when I was in school myself and have always been interested in the development of new technology.

As I was becoming burnt out in the profession of teaching, I wanted to look at combining my passion for learning and education with my love of technology. In becoming a developer, I am now able to combine so many elements of my passions in life into an adventurous career.

I was so inspired to see these strong and creative female role models who were kicking ass in the technology sector — it showed me that not only would I be welcomed here, I would be encouraged to excel.

Why did you choose to join the Fast Track?

After deciding that I wanted to pursue coding, I looked at many different options. Doing a Masters of IT, or any university based course was going to incur a large time and financial cost. I also did not want to do my study through an impersonal education system where my learning experiences and opportunities where defined by academia instead of practical skills.

So I attended an information night for Coder Academy in Brisbane where I was greeted by real people and a friendly atmosphere — the team here is what sealed the deal for me to join the Fast Track Bootcamp.

Go on…

Well, the educators are incredibly skilled in their knowledge of real world coding applications from their own impressive careers. They’re focused on fostering a growth mindset to produce the best learning experience for each student in the cohort. Also, I was so inspired to see these strong and creative female role models who were kicking ass in the technology sector — it showed me that not only would I be welcomed here, I would be encouraged to excel.

How did the Women In Tech Scholarship help you get to where you want to be?

Receiving the scholarship was a personal encouragement to me. Starting a new profession can be intimidating, especially as a young blonde female entering a male dominated sector. It was not only a financial help, but also a positive affirmation of others seeing my own potential and encouraging me to fulfill my goals and passion — it is through this scholarship that I have been able to collaborate, share similar goals and passions when it comes to building code and encouraging education for all communities.

What do you enjoy most about your experience at Coder Academy? How did it compare to previous study you’ve done?

I have loved being a part of the Coder Academy family. As cliché as it may sound, Coder has been an incredible journey of personal growth and affirmation. It is an incredibly supportive and fun community to be a part of, where we continuously build each other up (unless it’s when we are playing ping pong — things can get quite heated then!)

I have done previous study at a University, but it does not compare to the personal relationships formed between students and educators, the application of real life practical skills, as well as the connections within the industry and mentors that you get from Coder Academy.

As cliché as it may sound, Coder has been an incredible journey of personal growth and affirmation: it is an incredibly supportive and fun community to be a part of.

Where do you imagine yourself in 1 year from now?

One year from now, I would like to be working with Coder Academy in in some form or another to continue building the developer community in Brisbane. I believe that Coder Academy has great potential to encourage numerous communities to embrace the challenge and creativity of coding. That’s something I want to get behind and be apart while also working towards my own career my own career as a full stack developer.

Where do you think the biggest challenges and opportunities are for women wanting to make their mark in technology right now?

Self-perceptions.

As a previous teacher there is an attitude in young female students, that they believe they cannot work in heavily dominated male subjects (such as STEM) and their associated industries. They believe that they don’t have the ‘natural ability’ to code or understand code. So they shut down anything to do with it, perhaps out of fear of failure. I see this attitude be carried out to some women in adulthood; the amount of conversations I’ve had with women about being a developer is met with the same sort of response as I’ve experienced speaking with young female students.

The reality is that we are just as capable and competent of being coders than our male counterparts, if we take on a growth mindset and to accept failures as part of the process of learning and growing.

…There is an attitude in young female students, that they believe they cannot work in heavily dominated male subjects (such as STEM) and their associated industries…the reality is that we are just as capable and competent of being coders.

Are you optimistic about the future for women in tech? Why?

Yes! Although my exposure to the tech industry is still relatively new, I have yet to meet a community of people who have been as open and supportive of encouraging learning and growth. There is also a specific focus on the need to encourage women and more diverse groups into tech because of all the evidence demonstrating that diversity produces better work outcomes. It’s great to see incredible opportunities and programs out there to keep encouraging this.

I have to say that besides all this, there are still attitudes that need to be changed — but it’s a process. The more women who enter the tech field, the more likely that attitudes will change for the better.

What skills from your previous career have been valuable during this experience?

Having previously worked as a teacher, continuing to keep a growth mindset was imperative to keep improving my practice. It required continual effort to problem solve in order to bring out the best outcomes for students, whilst accepting that what worked one day, may not work the next. The same can be said for coding — there are endless ways of solving one problem.

Learning pedagogy has also significantly helped me to learn a large amount of information and relay complex topics in simple terms for others, who are not developers, to understand and engage with coding. Presentation and communication skills have also been crucial — teaching requires performance skills so this has been very useful when presentations came around during the Bootcamp.

Even if you don’t want your career path to be as a developer, coding skills can open up other opportunities across a multitude of other industries.

What advice would you give to women considering becoming developers?

DO IT! You are far more capable of coding than you can imagine!

Being a developer is empowering. It gives you the ability to create meaningful applications in the world and see opportunities that you may never have imagined before. Even if you don’t want your career path to be as a developer, coding skills can open up other opportunities across a multitude of other industries.

Any last pearls of wisdom you want to share?

You may have an image in your mind about what a coder looks like or what ‘he’ does. But in reality there is not one image of what a developer looks like. What I would encourage is to expand that perception of what a developer is.

You define what a developer can look like and be. Just be you! (For example I love colors and art, so I sometimes write my code out with Copic markers and make the code look like an art piece.)

Awesome, thank you so much Michelle!

Are you a woman looking to get into tech and interested in our Fast Track Bootcamp? Find out more about our scholarship opportunities across Fast Track and GenTech programs.

Want to speak to one of our team to find out more and find out your options? Contact us to come say hi!