Meet the _nologists

Matt Church

Junior Web Developer at Anthropics Technology

Which _nology intake were you on?
Remote, September – November 2020

What were you doing in your career/education before you joined the _nology course?
I was working as an administrator and user tester for a music exam board. Working alongside developers in testing really accelerated my move to change career path.

Did you have any coding experience before you started the course?
I delayed my _nology start date after COVID-19 started to emerge, so I had a good amount of preparation time around my work commitments – it made the first couple of weeks a little easier, but _nology give a lot of useful context around best practices, so it was never boring!

What job are you doing now? 
I’ve just started as a junior web developer at a company who produce photo editing software. There’s a huge amount to learn, but I still feel in the right mindset to learn, and everyone seems super supportive so far!

How was your experience on the _nology course?
It was great! Taking place remotely, it was interesting to meet so many people from across the country taking the same path I was, and I feel ready to take on the challenge of my first job in tech.

How was your experience of the post-course careers support?
The fact that_nology have Opus behind them looking for jobs for their graduates was a big draw for me, and they didn’t disappoint – I had an interview organised for me before the course even finished, and a few other leads before I landed my role.

Any other comments/feedback?
Thanks again to everyone at _nology – it was an incredibly smooth life-changing decision all in all!

Joe McGrath

Mechanical & Software Engineer at CAE Tech Ltd

Which _nology intake were you on?
Remote, September – November 2020

What were you doing in your career/education before you joined the _nology course?
Mechanical Engineer Graduate.

Did you have any coding experience before you started the course?
I had almost no experience – I’d seen code, even tried to understand it, but never written a single line.

What job are you doing now? 
I’m a Mechanical & Software Engineer at CAE Tech in Warwick, and I’m loving it! By moving further towards the software side of the engineering industry, I am able to work on new and exciting projects that are at the forefront of tech.

How was your experience on the _nology course?
_nology doesn’t feel like a course, so much as a family (weird I know). The coaches on the course are super knowledgeable, yet personable and light-hearted, which brings a fun twist to every new day of learning. The course naturally brings together people who are like-minded in that they love tech, which is a great environment to both network in, and build strong friendships. The mix of fun, banter, and well-executed teaching combines for an atmosphere where you’re learning huge amounts, but having a great time doing it.

How was your experience of the post-course careers support?
After the course, I found my job through the post-course team within a matter of weeks. The team listened to my needs, and reached out to some amazing companies on my behalf. With the post-course team working in the background on my behalf, looking for jobs was an amazing experience.

Aqeel Yamin

Junior Software Engineer at Creditsafe

Which _nology intake were you on?
Remote, May – August 2020

What were you doing in your career/education before you joined the _nology course?
I was in my first year of studying Software Engineering at university.

Did you have any coding experience before you started the course?
I had looked at some basic Java as part of one of my modules.

What job are you doing now? 
Junior Software Engineer at Creditsafe. So far I’m really enjoying the role, there’s a great team atmosphere and everyone has been great in helping me settle in. I’m learning more and more each day and I’m excited to see how far I can go.

How was your experience on the _nology course?
The learning environment at _nology was brilliant! It was challenging and immersive but the collaboration between students and the support from the coaches really helped to create a great atmosphere. Despite being fully remote, the lessons were still delivered at a very high quality and I’m amazed at how much I was able to learn in such a short space of time.

How was your experience of the post-course careers support?
Fantastic! Bella was determined to find and put us forward for the best possible roles. She kept us promptly updated on changes in the market/ potential vacancies. During my interview process she was always on hand for anything I needed and kept me in the loop with any developments.

Any other comments/feedback?
From the very start of the admissions process to the end of the job hunt, the staff at _nology were really what made this experience so enjoyable. I could not have asked for more from any of them.

Roki Seydi

Junior Backend Developer at Good Boost

Which _nology intake were you on?
Remote, May – August 2020

What were you doing in your career/education before you joined the _nology course?
Before the course I was a recent graduate who didn’t know what to do next – I wanted to move away from a research-based background to one that was more hands-on, but I wasn’t sure how.

Did you have any coding experience before you started the course?
Very little! Before _nology I wanted to focus on programming languages used in data science, but then I switched to software development. I was just starting with a self-paced online course when I came across the course.

What job are you doing now? 
I’m a junior backend developer for a small med-tech start-up, and I love it! Because of my varied background, I’m a bit of a jack of all trades – I code, I focus on the UX/UI design, I work with the artificial intelligence team, and I’m a data analyst. Although I’m new, the team really value my opinions and feedback on different issues, and have made me responsible for my schedule and work from day 1. I’m genuinely happy to start my weekdays now, and it can only get better from now on.

How was your experience on the _nology course?
The _nology course was the best investment I could have gifted myself in 2020. Although the course was intense and fast-paced, and the world out there was crazy, the coaches and fellow trainees made those 12 weeks enjoyable and unforgettable. I also made life-long friends, and I now have the support of a whole community of developers who started this amazing journey with me.

How was your experience of the post-course careers support?
Top notch! Bella helped me secure my current role, and I will be forever grateful for her dedication, passion and positive attitude. She truly considered my preferences in terms of industries and job roles I wanted, and with that in mind helped me secure my role within a week. Also, being able to keep in contact with my colleagues and share job hunt experiences was essential, as their support and encouragement helped me stay positive.

Any other comments/feedback?
Shoutout to the amazing Jenna and the rest of team that work behind the scene – the unsung heroes who make this journey possible too!

Niall Paterson

Software Engineer at Codexiq Systems

Which _nology intake were you on?
Remote, May – August 2020

What were you doing in your career/education before you joined the _nology course?
Academic Philosophy.

Did you have any coding experience before you started the course?
3 months of self-study.

What job are you doing now? 
I’m working as a software engineer at Codexiq Systems, a company based in Future Space at UWE. It’s a great environment with loads of interesting projects going on. The work I’m doing is interesting and rewarding. I’m learning loads everyday and engaging with fun new tech. I’m excited to go to work every day, and the future is looking bright.

How was your experience on the _nology course?
Very positive. It was useful to have some face to face (or, facetime to facetime) contact with people with a lot of coding experience. I think you can definitely learn to code alone, but you can fast track things and learn some of the more nuanced aspects by spending time with more experienced and talented people. Everyone was friendly and kept up positive vibes. I particularly liked was that the course didn’t solely focus on the basics of coding, which ultimately is only part of the job. Testing and agile methodologies, for example, are important to understand, and the experience we got with them turned out to be helpful when I was interviewing.

How was your experience of the post-course careers support?
Ben and Bella were very useful as points of contact to talk through various options, since they know the industry well. Its difficult to know what you can expect when its your first time on a given job market, and their knowledge definitely came in handy when I was choosing between offers.

Any other comments/feedback?
Just to say a huge thanks to everyone on the team! You’ve made my transition into software engineering much smoother than it might otherwise have been. I enjoyed getting to know you all. You’re a lovely bunch doing good, important work, and I’m appreciative for all the help you gave me during my time on the course.

Martin Harrison

Software Engineer at OVO

Which _nology intake were you on?
Remote, May – August 2020

What were you doing in your career/education before you joined the _nology course?
I worked as a Scheduling Lead, which involved a mixture of people and project management.

Did you have any coding experience before you started the course?
I’d been learning HTML, CSS and JavaScript for a couple of months before the course started

What job are you doing now? 
I’m currently in my second week as a full-stack engineer. There’s a lot to learn and a massive codebase to get my head around, and I’m thoroughly enjoying myself. The more senior devs have been really welcoming and it’s a great team environment.

How was your experience on the _nology course?
Taking the course was a truly transformative experience and has opened up a career path that I’m really excited to be taking (and previously thought I would need a degree for). The quality of teaching was excellent, with help always available when needed. The highlight was the opportunity to work on an MVP project for a real client, which provided a solid framework for what to expect from a job as a developer. The pacing of the course was intense, but got the balance just right between teaching new skills and giving us the chance to absorb it all! Though fully-remote, there was still a great sense of camaraderie amongst coaches and students. Aside from the course itself, the pre and post-course support was also excellent and I really enjoyed working with all the staff at _nology.

Sev Legon

Junior Developer at Multiply.AI

Which _nology intake were you on?
Remote, May – August 2020

What were you doing in your career/education before you joined the _nology course?
I graduated in Psychology a year prior to the course. I took some time off after education to figure out my next step in life.

Did you have any coding experience before you started the course?
I self-studied HTML, CSS & JavaScript basics about one month before the course start date.

What job are you doing now? 
I am a Junior Developer at a Fintech startup. I am currently in my first week so it’s fair to say I have a lot to learn before being fully comfortable, but _nology has given me the tools and training needed to get there.

How was your experience on the _nology course?
The course was great. The experience of learning with other newbies is exciting and the support network that forms from it really motivates you. Although being part of a remote cohort, the training was brilliant and working from the comfort of your own home makes everything easier in my opinion. I have made great techy friends, learned more than I could have imagined, and look forward to see where we all end up.

Sam Joyce

Software Development Coach at _nology

Which _nology intake were you on?
London, January – April 2020

What were you doing in your career/education before you joined the _nology course?
Private Tax Adviser at PwC.

Did you have any coding experience before you started the course?
I had done the basics of HTML/CSS, and had some experience in Python for data analysis.

What job are you doing now? 
Junior Software Development Coach. I love it. The difference in my enjoyment from what I was doing before is night and day and I get to constantly learn new tech as part of an expanding course and fast moving industry. The way we work in tech is so different than other industries; it’s fast moving and agile which is incredibly exciting to be a part of. I’m also given a lot of responsibility and trust by my managers to figure things and complete the tasks assigned to me, which I thrive off.

How was your experience on the _nology course?
My experience on the course was different to any traditional learning I had done before, in the most positive way imaginable. There was no cramming for any tests, it was practical learning where I could be introduced to a topic at 9am, and be building something myself by 12pm. This really worked for both the tech being being taught as well as my learning style, which is learning by doing! The coaches were fantastic to get along with both knew the course content inside out, which made asking questions (and there were a lot!) really easy and efficient.

Any other comments/feedback?
None in an improvement sense. I completed the _nology course in April 2020, quite possibly the worst time to enter a new industry as a junior! However I still feel like _nology not only gave me the toolkit to get a job in these circumstances, but also the support after the course to find my ideal role!

Denis Denchev

Business Applications Developer at A2Z Cloud

Which _nology intake were you on?
Bristol, January – April 2020

What were you doing in your career/education before you joined the _nology course?
Construction.

Did you have any coding experience before you started the course?
None.

What job are you doing now? 
Currently working as business applications developer.

How was your experience on the _nology course?
The experience is one of a kind!

Any other comments/feedback?
The course was all about learn and adapt and do it quick. Getting out of your comfort zone was a daily thing. If you really want to challenge yourself and learn how to learn (teach yourself) things, learn how to deal with issues, break them down and take logical approach, definitely sign up for the course. You will come out of it as a different person.

Natasha Stenner

Junior Software Engineer at Envelop Risk

Which _nology intake were you on?
Bristol, January – April 2020

What were you doing in your career/education before you joined the _nology course?
I studied hospitality supervision at college and eventually worked my way up to events manager at a hotel.

Did you have any coding experience before you started the course?
Some coding experience but that was back in school.

What job are you doing now? 
I work as a junior software engineer and am currently really enjoying the challenge.

How was your experience on the _nology course?
I really enjoyed my time at nology, the tutors were great. I made some really good friends and learnt a lot very quickly. The course became remote during the pandemic and the quality of the training never changed.

Any other comments/feedback?
Thank you for all your help, I would have never got where I am now without it.

Andy Cameron

Junior Developer at Landmark Information

Which _nology intake were you on?
London, January – April 2020

What were you doing in your career/education before you joined the _nology course?
I spent the previous four years working as a Land and Utility Surveyor. I liked technology and fancied a change of pace.

Did you have any coding experience before you started the course?
I’d had exposure to coding at University and spent a couple of days a year playing with variables using Youtube.

What job are you doing now? 
I’m currently working as a Junior Full Stack Developer in Exeter, programming in C#, SQL, JavaScript and Swift (iOS). I love to code, I’m incredibly well supported and I’m able to contribute to live projects after two weeks of employment.

How was your experience on the _nology course?
To anyone wishing to start a career in tech, I wholly recommend it. The people are awesome. The camaraderie, and the energy and enthusiasm from our tutors and each other was inspiring. The syllabus is designed such that after several weeks post-course, I’m able to write code for production in languages we hadn’t even covered. And, despite a global pandemic, _nology adapted to remote working and secured me a job where I love coding and there’s endless opportunity to learn and make cool things. I have no regrets.

James Nowecki

Software Developer at Cambio Healthcare Systems

Which _nology intake were you on?
Bristol, January – April 2020

What were you doing in your career/education before you joined the _nology course?
I had completed a geochemistry PhD, followed by charity work as a front line support worker working to reduce homelessness.

Did you have any coding experience before you started the course?
Low level R, CSS, HTML

What job are you doing now? 
Post course, I obtained 2 weeks of freelance work with the start-up the _nology group worked with on a client project, constructing a vegan health app tailored for people’s genetic information. I was fortunate in the lockdown climate of mid-2020 to obtain a full time position with a healthcare tech company just before the end of the course, which I start next week!

How was your experience on the _nology course?
Consistently excellent. All the way from the first taster day, through the application process the organisation were extremely professional. This continued with the trainers Shea and Matt on the bootcamp. The quality of the teaching and feedback was impeccable, even in difficult circumstances with part of the course being run remotely. My rate of learning was much, much faster than the self-teaching I had undertaken before the course, and completely vindicated my decision to attend the bootcamp. The support I received from Opus recruitment after the course to obtain my first position in the tech industry was also good, despite the economic climate. I couldn’t really have asked for more from the course, and I am extremely optimistic about starting my new career!

James Panter

Junior Developer at Landmark Information

Which _nology intake were you on?
Bristol, January – April 2020

What were you doing in your career/education before you joined the _nology course?
Finance – Accounts Payable

Did you have any coding experience before you started the course?
No

What job are you doing now? 
Junior Developer – I have really enjoyed my first few weeks, I have joined a project working on an iPhone app which I find very interesting and was something I knew I would like to explore throughout my career. The role keeps me challenged and there’s lots of problem solving/troubleshooting to be done. I’m learning heaps about a very different tech stack and enjoying it all

How was your experience on the _nology course?
The Nology course was the best 3 months I’ve had in years. Part of this was because I had found the career I wanted to pursue, but also because of the people I met on the course and the trainers. Sad for it to end but it’s exciting to be starting my career!

Any other comments/feedback?
Shea is an incredible trainer, he is a huge reason the course was so enjoyable for me.

Maya Keeley

Junior Web Developer at Bot-Hive

Which _nology intake were you on?
Bristol, September – December 2019

What were you doing in your career/education before you joined the _nology course?
Liberal Arts & Sciences degree followed by a year in the film industry.

Did you have any coding experience before you started the course?
A tiny bit of Matlab but otherwise, none.

What job are you doing now? 
Junior Web Developer for Bot-Hive. Bot-Hive is a start up so with only 6 people, there’s a lot of responsibility and variety in the role. One of the things I love about it is getting to make decisions on the product as a whole and to see the wider picture and how my role fits into that. In terms of web development, I’ve been able to learn both Angular and Node which are completely new to me. It’s been challenging but _nology taught me well for learning to adapt and pick up new concepts quickly.

How was your experience on the _nology course?
I had a great time learning what was essentially a completely new skill. The course was fast paced for sure, but you were able to consolidate the knowledge as you went along and built on previous knowledge. I was surprised to find that the days were pretty varied, between learning in a classroom setting, to solo coding, to working in pairs or groups, you were kept pretty busy! I loved how the course had a client project, as this really allowed you to see how you would work on a project in a job later on. Getting to run project meetings and work with a client on their vision was a hugely valuable aspect of the course.

Any other comments/feedback?
The more I learn in my current role, the more thankful I am that I did _nology. Not only am I really enjoying my job, but the way _nology taught us to problem solve helps me on a daily basis. _nology gives you a great foundation to be able to walk into any junior developer role and quickly adapt to whatever your role might throw at you!

Clara Fitzgerald

Junior Software Developer at Creditsafe

Which _nology intake were you on?
Bristol, September – December 2019

What were you doing in your career/education before you joined the _nology course?
Just finished a BSc in Financial Mathematics.

Did you have any coding experience before you started the course?
Yes, but only a little.

What job are you doing now? 
Junior Software Developer at Creditsafe. I’m enjoying it a lot, great tech stack and I’m still learning every day. I feel as though I have a lot of room to grow in this career, and I’m excited to see where it leads. Overall, I’m just buzzing to be able to get paid to develop software, something I enjoy doing and would like to do anyway.

How was your experience on the _nology course?
It was great. I learned a lot, was challenged heavily and came out with a new skill. Beyond the code, I learned how to optimise learning – I think this will help me a lot throughout my career as I pick up other skills. The course dynamic is brilliant, the teaching style is excellent, encouraging students to learn from each other and find answers by themselves rather than getting answers served on a plate – another asset for learning how to learn. It was an intense learning experience, spending 12 weeks outside of your comfort zone and teetering on the edge of your panic zone is exhausting, but also perhaps the most efficient way to learn.

Aleo Yakas

Junior Software Developer at Creditsafe

Which _nology intake were you on?
Bristol, September – December 2019

What were you doing in your career/education before you joined the _nology course?
Working as a software automation consultant.

Did you have any coding experience before you started the course?
Very little from my previous job and minimal from university.

What job are you doing now? 
Junior Software Developer at Creditsafe – it’s great, the people are super helpful and are constantly helping me develop my technical skills.

How was your experience on the _nology course?
I feel the nology course was great, I did struggle with moving to Bristol as everyone else seemed to be a Bristol local, but I feel the training and the aftercare was amazing. I would happily recommend nology to prospecting students.

Any other comments/feedback?
Nology structure their learning in a fun, yet professional manner. It isn’t just about learning to code (although that is a big part of it), it’s about learning how to work in a technical job. The project work allows you to experience how a job would operate, while the topics taught are practical skills which you will find invaluable in when you start your first tech job.

Dan Forder

Software Developer at QES

Which _nology intake were you on?
Bristol, June – September 2019

What were you doing in your career/education before you joined the _nology course?
Just finished BSc Music Composition & Technology and a working holiday in New Zealand

Did you have any coding experience before you started the course?
Yes, some freeCodeCamp tutorials

What job are you doing now? 
Full Stack Software Developer, I’m enjoying taking a lead on a big application with thousands of users!

How was your experie.nce on the _nology course?
Really great experience, it set me up to ‘learn how to learn’ the most important skill as a developer.

Benjamin Busch

Software Engineer at Candide Gardening

Which _nology intake were you on?
Bristol, June – September 2019

What were you doing in your career/education before you joined the _nology course?
Studying Philosophy & German Language and Literature at university.

Did you have any coding experience before you started the course?
Barely any.

What job are you doing now? 
I am a software engineer. I love it. Cannot imagine a better job.

How was your experience on the _nology course?
Fun, fun, fun! I would do it again!

Myles Carey

UX Developer at Optimum Credit

Which _nology intake were you on?
Bristol, February – May 2019

What were you doing in your career/education before you joined the _nology course?
Digital Marketing.

Did you have any coding experience before you started the course?
Very little.

What job are you doing now? 
UX Developer and Freelance UX UI Designer.

How was your experience on the _nology course?
Very good. The Coaches’ knowledge was unrivalled and they taught real life examples. Since I’ve been in work, I’ve used the techniques, methodologies and coding they taught nearly every day. It’s also enabled me to move more into UX and UI which was my passion.

Any other comments/feedback?
For a long time, I dreamt of being able to code and do the stuff I’m passionate about and nology helped me to realise the dream. Without it, I’d probably be stuck in a job I don’t enjoy.