Following on from the hiring freezes the globe saw in 2020, the tech industry is now thriving. Tech roles are the most in demand in the world, and new jobs are being created daily. This has led to more people exploring coding as a career path, and learning a programming language is at an all-time high.
We recently spoke to Paula Isabel Signo, a Web Developer based in the Philippines. After graduating she couldn’t find any work in her degree field, so she took the risk and decided to embark on a new career path into tech. Paula started on her journey of coding and hasn’t looked back. Learn more about what she had to say below.
What did you do before software engineering?
In my early years I studied computing a lot when I was growing up, but my journey really began at university where I studied Electronics and Communications Engineering at the Technological Institute of the Philippines. It was an amazing course, and I fully enjoyed the time I spent studying, I’m incredibly fortunate to have a degree. The only negative I have of my studies is that I completed my degree during the peak of Covid in the Philippines, and finding a job post studying was increasingly difficult. On the flip side, a positive that came out of it was my passion and interest in technology. My knowledge in the tech space grew enormously which ultimately led to me continuing my coding journey.
How did you to get started?
After graduating, the lack of job opportunities took my next move to somewhere I wasn’t expecting. I had a lot of spare time as I wasn’t working, and so I took this chance to develop a new skill and I started a popular coding course online called ‘100 Devs’ and I was instantly hooked. Quickly, I began learning JavaScript and HTML which were both new to me; I learnt a lot, and I gained new skills. Learning and being hands on is my preferred style, and this course combined both – I loved seeing what I created at the end.
My favourite part overall though was the community of people; discussing issues and problems, as well as working with mentors to help me consistently helped me to improve as a Developer.
How would you describe your journey so far?
So far, my journey has been fun and challenging in equal measures. I’m grateful for the people I have met along the way and the impact they have had on me and my learning. The coding community is one of the best, and without them I’m not sure where I’d be or what my skills would be like.
One of the challenges I’ve seen, is that not a lot of companies are ready to take a risk on a new Developer or someone with a lack of job experience. Thankfully, for me I was able to find a company that was ready to take the risk on a new Web Developer like myself. I started my career as a Software Developer and have since explored new job roles I hadn’t previously considered. Currently, I’m exploring the role of Technical Writer alongside my 9-5. Having the opportunities to enhance my skills is amazing.
What are some of your favourite projects?
One of my favourite things to do is anything web development based as it has quickly become my favourite part of coding. Not surprisingly then, unsurprisingly one of my favourite projects that I have helped to create is web development based; it's a collaboration between myself and other Developers at my current job in which we created a software solution for different styles of web design that ultimately helps to improve the lives of Web Developers. Our solution makes their work easier and more efficient.
Working with other talented Developers was honestly a great experience as I was able to learn new techniques as well as implementing some of my ideas.
Another project that I have enjoyed working on more recently is a web development project using PHP. This is a completely new language to me, and I haven’t used it before for any projects so diving in and trying something unknown was great.
Do you have any advice for new Developers?
Something that has helped me a lot throughout my journey is finding a community, both online and in person. Receiving feedback for some of my coding problems, as well as having informative feedback has made me become a better Developer. Learning from my mistakes and looking at other Developers to help me problem solve has helped me to grow.
Another thing that has helped me a lot is to take risks and to jump straight in. Don’t be afraid to start. I think sometimes it is better to put your learning into practice, get hands on experience and learn from errors along the way.
We had a great time speaking to Paula, it’s great to see the transition of her journey and to see how the opportunities in coding are endless. If you’re looking for an opportunity in the tech industry, make sure to take a look at our live vacancy page or get in contact now.