If you'd told me a few years ago that I'd be spending most of my working day sitting in an office, building websites and writing code, I probably wouldn't have believed you.
But here I am!
Before getting into front-end development, I'd spent over seven years working in a warehouse for Mr Kipling, alongside working as a personal trainer. So, as you can imagine, sitting behind a desk for most of the day wasn't exactly something I'd pictured myself doing.
Finding My Way into Development
At the time, I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do next. I knew I wanted a change, but I didn't know what direction to take.
I started putting together a list of potential careers and researching each one to see what interested me most. Front-end development was the one that caught my attention.
I've always been a fan of art and creativity, so the design side of web development naturally appealed to me. I liked the idea of being able to build something from scratch, see my work come to life and actually see the progress I was making.
That was enough for me to think, why not give it a go?
Teaching Myself to Code
Once I'd made my decision, I got stuck into learning.
I started watching YouTube tutorials, bought a course on Udemy and worked my way through lessons on freeCodeCamp. My first projects were pretty basic websites, nothing too complicated. But as I became more comfortable with HTML and CSS, I started experimenting with different layouts, designs and ideas. I found myself enjoying the creative side more and more, especially being able to turn something I'd imagined into an actual working website.
Around six or seven months into learning, I decided to challenge myself by building a Spotify-style app that connected to my own Spotify data, displaying things like my liked songs and playlists. For someone who'd only recently started learning to code, seeing something like that come together was a pretty big moment. Within about a year, I'd gained enough confidence in my abilities to start thinking about development as my next career move. I set up a LinkedIn account and began sharing things I was learning, along with some of the projects I'd been working on. Not too long after, I received a phone call from Venn asking if I'd be interested in an opportunity with them. And that's where things really started to change.
A Completely Different Working World
Going from years of manual warehouse work to sitting in an office and working in a technical role was probably one of the biggest adjustments I've had to make. It was a completely different environment, a different routine and a different way of working and thinking.
One of my first official website projects at Venn was for Integro Partners. I remember finding it quite challenging at first, especially as it was also my first experience working with a content management system (CMS). There was a lot to get my head around, and working on a real client website was very different from building my own projects at home. But with each project, I became more comfortable, learned new things and started to find my feet.
Looking back at those early days compared to where I am now, it's nice to see how much I've progressed.
More Than Just a Career Change
Working at Venn has helped me in more ways than just developing my technical skills.
One of the biggest differences has been the work-life balance.
Having my daughter, being able to spend more time with her and having the flexibility to drop her off and pick her up from school means a lot to me. It's something I didn't always have the flexibility to do in my previous jobs, and it's made a real difference to my everyday life. Being able to work remotely for a couple of days each week is another huge benefit, and I think it's something a lot of us appreciate.
The people I work with have also made a big difference. I've really come to enjoy working alongside my colleagues, learning from them and being part of the team. And I have to give credit to Brian, too. The support and working environment at Venn have been unlike anything I've experienced in previous roles. Having a team and leadership that genuinely value their employees makes a huge difference.
It's the little things like these that make me appreciate where I've ended up.
Looking Back
When I first started learning HTML and CSS through YouTube videos and online courses, I had no idea where it would take me.
I didn't have a technical background, I'd never worked in an office and I certainly didn't expect to be building websites professionally. But I found something that interested me, stuck with it and gradually built up the confidence to turn it into a career. Now, I get to work on creative projects with creative people, continue learning and, most importantly, have a better balance between work and family life.
There's still plenty I want to learn and improve on, but that's one of the things I enjoy about front-end development. There's always something new to get stuck into.
From working in a warehouse to building websites for a living, it's been quite a change. One I'm really glad I made.
