Olivia Moore
Back End Developer
Sunday, 16 January 2022
Could you please introduce yourself?
My name is Olivia and I am currently working as a Back End Developer. I really like to help and encourage others to get into the tech industry.
Whats your background?
I am from the North East of England. I graduated from the University of Hull in 2019 with a degree in Computer Science from the University of Hull. I also undertook a placement year as part of my degree. I am now currently working as a Back End Developer. I worked with a number of different programming languages including C#, Python, and Java. I also have a little experience with front-end work but mainly like to work with the back-end.
Whats your current role?
I am currently working as a Back End Developer at a company in the North East called Saggezza. I joined in 2019 as a graduate and was promoted to a Back End Developer.
Why have you decided to learn to code?
In college, I was looking into university courses after I decided that I no longer wanted to pursue a maths degree. I loved the logic and problem-solving side of mathematics so I looked for similar courses where I found Computer Science. I always wanted to start learning how to code but never really knew where to start. I also learned of the lack of women in the technology sector and the push to get more women involved. So prior to University, I had never written a line of code. I took a chance and it (thankfully) paid off.
Do you think its important to learn to code?
100%. I believe it's a great skill for everyone to know. Even today, we see primary schools introducing coding lessons, and just because a lot of us are far past primary school age, it doesn't mean that it's not a useful skill to have.
Do you feel the tech industry is male dominated? How can we encourage more women into the industry?
Yes, I do feel that the tech industry is male-dominated. I feel that we need to encourage women of all ages to undertake a career in tech. A lot of people don't know what coding is and feel that it is something that they could never do but I believe coding is not as hard as everyone thinks it is.
Did you struggle being a woman in the tech industry yourself?
I haven't necessarily struggled because I was a woman. I struggled a lot with comparison to others especially when I started learning how to code. I felt clueless a lot of the time.
Whats the most rewarding and most challenging parts of your tech career so far?
One of the most challenging things that I face is comparing myself to others. Tech is something that is always changing and there is always going to be someone that knows something that you don't. I used to always put myself down and think "I should know that" but I realized that there are lots of different technology branches and you're not going to know every single thing. It is constantly a learning experience and it's one thing about the tech, you never stop learning.
One of the most rewarding things is mentoring. I really enjoy helping people start there coding journey. I like to encourage people and help out where I can.