It isn’t easy and needs constant attention but I enjoy the positive buzz I get from looking back in retrospect and seeing the development that has taken place.

This is vitally important at the start of a new career in tech as there’s so much to learn and so many paths to explore. Perhaps that’s the reason Impostor Syndrome lurks around every corner, but in an attempt to dispel this condition, I set about making a change.

When I started my first professional job in software I had one over-arching objective for my initial year and that was to be more competent in the world of software development.

In order to achieve this, it was necessary for me to have a strategic plan made up of milestones and tasks that would allow me to achieve success.

While undertaking these tasks I firmly believed in two fundamental educational principles; we learn from doing and we learn from others. Considering this I set about using the resources at my disposal.

My employer, Citi, has invested in a platform dedicated to continued professional development that includes a library of tutorial videos covering technical and soft skills, so I spend my free time following along with courses I find both relevant and interesting.

I use the lessons to build out my own projects and showcase them on my GitHub profile.

Professionally

Working alongside competent professionals in my day job was also incredibly beneficial, this allowed me at first hand, to learn with real-life tasks, providing insight on how they fitted into the complete software cycle.

I have been exposed to the Linux OS, been tutored in the use of Unix commands and coached on how to read log files and find errors that may lead to potential solutions of daily problems.

Working in the FinTech industry has provided me with a myriad of experience in production systems. From being involved in the release of market trading components, early morning component checkouts and working with teams on a global scale.

Learning Network

In recent years Belfast has seen huge growth in its IT industry.

This has contributed to the rise of numerous tech meetups becoming established as a regular monthly fixture for individuals who want to share their expertise and learn from others.

I became involved in this learning community and frequently attend the BelfastJS social meetup, staged at different office venues around the city.

This has been a fantastic opportunity to network and see what other companies are like, not only in terms of their office space but the projects they are involved in and the way in which their employees conduct themselves professionally.

I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to the wide multitude of different talks delivered and engaging with the speakers afterwards to find out more about what had just been spoken about.

Through these events, I have also increased my social media networks, and now receive regular updates from my peers in other companies about what they find new and innovative in the world of technology. All of this serves to improve my technical awareness in the industry.

An unforeseen benefit of becoming involved in the Belfast learning community has been the exposure to the list of tech events that are happening right on my doorstep.

I have been able to attend the highly impressive Pixel Pioneers conference that took place in Belfast’s Waterfront Hall and more recently the Women Tech Makers event at Queen’s University. These conferences provide the attendees with knowledge and experiences from professionals who are at the top of their game as well as a chance to converse with their peers.

I am in the fortunate position to have a professional mentor and friend, Barry McGee, who has over ten years of experience, working with some of the biggest companies in the world.

We have established a weekly Coding Club, in which we undertake coding tasks, and discuss programming techniques and trends.

Currently, we are conducting a book study on the influential software engineering book, The Pragmatic Programmer. In each chapter, we analyse methodologies and caveats presented through the pages, discussing their relevance and why they are successful.

I have also used these mentoring sessions to develop my front-end knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript while improving my Git skills to manage the version control of this personal blog site.

By far the most exciting part of my development journey is my up-and-coming trip to San Francisco with Barry. We are flying over to attend Reactathon conference hosted by Github at the end of this month. Reactathon is a conference for developers who are interested in learning and connecting with other like-minded individuals. I am looking forward to soaking up the atmosphere, listening to the speakers, watching the dozens of live demos and networking with the other conference attendees.

This has been my journey so far - it’s been exciting and very enjoyable. The famous words of Michelangelo couldn't be more appropriate, “Ancora Imparo”.