It all started when Amina Adewusi became a mother. In her previous job she had to travel a lot and, for a minute, she thought she could keep it up. She couldn’t. So, she decided to take to the internet and start looking for jobs that would allow her to spend more time at home. There she found a lot of advertisements for software engineers and, although she had no background in technology, she thought it might be a suitable new career path. Spoiler alert – turns out she’s very passionate about software engineering.
How did you begin your software development journey?
I started by talking to people who worked in the industry and asked their advice. Following that, I decided to start teaching myself. I got myself into Code First Girls, which involved a 12 week evening course learning basic HTML, CSS and Git. I also found some mentors through contributing to open source projects (namely, Ruby for Good) and attending Codebar. Once I felt ready, the next step was looking for suitable positions.
I had absolutely no expectations when I applied to the Guardian and was surprised when I progressed through to the first round of interviews. When I got the call that I was successful, I was completely overjoyed. It was a dream come true.
What made you apply to the Guardian?
During my job hunt I discovered there were very few entry level programmes available in the engineering industry, so I was drawn to the Digital Fellowship available at the Guardian, which is aimed at individuals looking for their first professional developer role. If you love coding and digital media then you can apply to the Fellowship irrespective of your background.
I have been working at the Guardian since October 2019 and have loved the experience. There are lots of mentors and experienced developers to learn from. My colleagues are very supportive and willing to give their time. My biggest challenges have been juggling home life and work. Before the pandemic, I was working two days a week from home, which really helped me a lot and I’m glad flexible working will still be an option after the pandemic.
So what does a working day look like to you now?
I find that I’m able to change my daily routine to suit my needs, so it can look quite different day to day and I don’t have a set pattern. Currently, it’s quite unconventional, because I tend to start work early in the morning, a couple of hours before my son wakes up. I’ll then take a break to do the school run. Sometimes, I’ll take time to do errands and fit in any self care activities. On other days, I’ll plough straight back into my work and use the extra time to finish earlier or work compressed hours so that I can take time off on a Friday.
After the school run, a standup with my team usually follows later that morning and then for the rest of the day I spend time pairing, working independently and in meetings.
I’m currently volunteering for the Guardian’s regular Scala School where I co-teach a beginner’s class. We have about three students and meet once a week. We use a Scala textbook and work through the exercises together.
I’m very passionate about supporting developers, especially those newer to the industry, to learn Scala. I struggled a bit and felt it was important to get involved so I can support others. While I am still very early on in my own Scala journey, it can also be really helpful because I have a good understanding of some of the challenges others may face.
Have you embarked on any interesting projects since you’ve been here?
I recently helped set up the first Scala conference for developers in the early stages of their Scala career, Scalabase. I did this with colleagues from across the department and with some developers from outside the Guardian too. It was specifically for developers new to Scala and the first of its kind in the industry. Its inception came from the agreement and frustration between some of us that a lot of talks at Scala conferences were too complex for those of us new to the language. You can view the Scalabase talks here.
This is only the beginning as well, as the next Scalabase will take place in November (follow Scalabase on Twitter for more information). It’s great that as engineers at the Guardian we are allowed to contribute to such community projects. We have ‘10 per cent time’ where we are allowed to use 10 per cent of our time towards side projects and community work among other things.
How would you describe the culture at the Guardian?
The culture is really special here and I have found everyone to be kind and friendly. I get the feeling that colleagues really care about diversity. Shortly after joining the Guardian, I asked one of our engineering managers about starting a mentoring program with Coding Black Females. This idea was taken on and now many CBF members have been supported by Guardian engineers. It’s wonderful that the department has been supportive of this initiative and many engineers have volunteered their time. I enjoy working in an environment where I’m also given time to solve problems in the wider tech community that I feel passionate about.
Development of digital products is central to the Guardian. You could be building the products that showcase our progressive and independent journalism, crafting the tools that journalists use to write their stories, developing the services that allow those stories to be distributed across the globe, or safeguarding our financial future.
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