Meet a DevOps Apprentice: Growing My Skill Set Whilst Learning on the Job
Tags: devops, apprentice, womenintech, learning
Published: 2023-08-03 16:01:16

I have been interested in software since childhood. I really enjoyed playing Mario games and I would try and dissect how pressing "A" made Mario jump and who had made that happen behind the scenes. This sparked my imagination, and I wanted to explore it further.

I was very lucky to be born at a time when the internet was just taking off in a big way. By the time I was in primary school, I could search the web for "how are video games made" and fortunately for me, my parents both worked in web development becoming another invaluable resource in my quest. I would often be looking over their shoulders as they wrote HTML; armed with lots of questions about how it all worked.

I took Computer Science as an options subject at secondary school and stepped into the male-dominated world of IT. I felt there may be an advantage of being a girl here, as employers seek to fill their diversity quota, but I also faced some confusing realities. One teacher told me to get into needlework as it was more suited to me, and I ended up being one of only two girls in a class of 30 computer science students, which often landed us as the subject of discussion when a new teacher would take the class.

When I reached year 10, we found ourselves without a computer science teacher, and after the year 11 class were taught the wrong curriculum, the school ended up with a whole year of students having to re-sit their GCSE. They put the Head of Department in charge of us, and set an assignment to find out who would continue and who would be put on the ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) program, an easy pass for any 21st-century student.

I became one of seven Computer Science students, a much easier class to manage for the busy Head of Department, who would often be running two classes at once. Once they found us a suitable teacher we worked hard running up to the exam, taking classes after school and in half term to catch up. The classes became relentless, with hundreds of pages of information being thrown at us over a week. I passed with a C, and was the only girl in our school that year to get Computer Science GCSE.

Unfortunately, I found a blocker when I got to college.  A-Level Maths was required in order to take Computer Science - and maths has always been my weakness; I always understood the way programming languages worked and had a good grasp of logic, but maths was a totally different beast. As a result, I ended up taking my Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in IT, which didn't have the maths requirement and enabled me to study Graphic Design and English Language as my other two subjects.

![When I won the Student of the Year – Student Choice Award for the Level 3 BTEC Subsidiary Diploma in IT, June 2019.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/1v6hi00oodvmv4y7z0jz.png)
_When I won the Student of the Year – Student Choice Award for the Level 3 BTEC Subsidiary Diploma in IT, June 2019._

After college, I went to art school to study the Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, making the most of my last free year of education before I turned 19. Art school was fun for the most part and opened me up to a whole world of artistic avenues I never thought to explore like life drawing and collage. However, my tutor suggested I wouldn't get anywhere if I didn't go to university and there was a lack of support from the school to find employment; I decided graphic design wasn’t for me.

After working in a music shop for two years, I found myself a marketing job for a jigsaw puzzle company. This let me sink my teeth into web development and technical support which I really enjoyed. On the cusp of a company buyout, we had a meeting which stated that the new company already had a web development team and we would focus on selling. I wasn't a saleswoman, I wanted to be a part the creation process and help make the product great, so I embarked on a new journey and decided that my limited programming knowledge; from college and extra-curricular, could do with an upgrade. This ambition led me to find the opportunity at Software Solved as a Level 4 DevOps Engineer Apprentice.

My apprenticeship affords me dedicated study days which helps me to learn all about the latest DevOps technologies and pass these back to my line manager. In turn, I get to learn from experts at Software Solved. My varied background initially made me think that it was too late to explore a career in the tech industry, so I am very grateful for all the opportunities and on-the-job mentorship Software Solved is offering. The ability to earn while I learn and get my Level 4 qualification at the end of it sets me up for further career advancement and opportunities.

**What journey have you taken to enter the world of software and development?**