Code First: what's it really like?

Code First: Girls, our coding course for young women, is taking place this summer at Level 39 of 1, Canada Square. Read on to find out about Grace's experiences as a code learner and enthusiast.

What are you doing at the moment?

I’ve just finished 3 out of 4 years of a manufacturing engineering degree at the University of Cambridge.

What are you learning at the moment?

At the moment I’m learning how to set up a form on my website so that the information which is entered by the user ends up in a neat table in Google docs where I’m able to analyse it. 

How are you finding learning to code? Has it been easier or harder than you expected?

Learning to code can be tough when you’re trying to figure out why the little things aren’t working but when you get a nice website up and running it’s incredibly satisfying. My coding has come on in leaps and bounds since starting Code First : Girls thanks to a great group of helpers as well as an intelligent group of girls to ask questions to. 

How will you use the skills you have learnt after Code First?

The skills I’ve learned will be beneficial to any job I undertake in the future, whether it’s starting on a graduate programme or founding a tech start up. Every modern company uses technology to a certain extent: having coding skills means that I’ll be able to use technology effectively and potentially offer solutions to help the organisations I work in to grow.

What has been the most useful part of Code First?

The most useful part of Code First has been learning a new skill amongst a group of incredibly intelligent and driven people. Not only is everyone more than happy to discuss coding queries but also I’m sure that these ladies will form an incredibly useful network in the future. Particularly if I chose to enter the world of tech start ups.

What would you tell a person who is about to start learning to code? 

You get out as much as you put in. You’re not going to learn to be a pro-coder over night, but if you put in a decent amount of time you can get far very quickly, and there are so many free resources available online to help you get there. Codeacademy courses are great and nothing beats Google in solving those annoying little problems. I found the Developer tools (on a Mac) particularly useful. They’re a great way to look around your favourite website in html so give them a try if you’re looking for inspiration.

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