Rianne McCartney — Software Engineer
Rianna is a software engineer at Gousto; the food box delivery service. She started attending codebar as a student in August 2019, before deciding to do the Makers 14 week Bootcamp.
You can find Rianne on the internet at:
- What did you want to be growing up?
A fashion designer! Unfortunately, when I asked to do that for work experience in year 10, I was gently told that fashion designers don’t really operate out of Eastbourne (the small seaside town that I grew up in), so instead, I went to a law firm and ended up becoming a lawyer.
2) When did your interest in tech start?
My partner started working as a developer a few years before me so I was aware of the stuff he was working on and how much he enjoyed his job. it piqued my interest although it took a while until I seriously started looking into it as a career.
3) How did you make the transition to being a developer?
I started using free online resources such as codecademy and then quit my job to do the Makers bootcamp for 4 months.
4) What was your first development job?
I started as a front end developer at Gousto (food box delivery company) and have been there for the last 10 months.
I like how forward-thinking the tech world is.
5) What is your favourite thing about being a developer?
Being able to go to work in dungarees and trainers! I don’t miss the suits and smart shoes of a solicitor. The whole vibe and culture are very different from the legal arena and I like how forward-thinking the tech world is.
6) What is the coolest project you have worked on and why?
I’m part of the Menu tribe at Gousto and my squad is predominately responsible for any changes to the main menu and all the recipes on the web. Some of the projects we have lined up for the next year are pretty cool and involve revamping the whole menu along with a lot of new ideas. It’s exciting to be at a company that’s growing so quickly.
7) How did you get involved with codebar?
When I started at Makers one of the girls in my cohort helped organise the sessions and invited me to come along.
8) Why do you keep coming back to codebar?
I found it super helpful to get one-on-one help with projects I was working on and to learn new things, and to meet people already working in the industry. Also — pizza!
9) What are your plans for the future?
I’m happy at Gousto and looking forward to seeing what we can achieve over the next few months/years.
10) What advice would you give to aspiring developers?
Take all the opportunities you’re given and put yourself out there. Go to meet-ups, get a mentor, work on projects, and go to codebar! The more people you meet and the more you have to talk about in an interview, the better chance you’re giving yourself.
