Andrew Harding | Code Student Testimonial

We catch up with Learning People student Andrew Harding who changed his career from District Councillor to Web Designer by studying the Diploma in Full Stack Software Development…

 

 

Tell us why you enquired with Learning People

When the pandemic hit I was facing redundancy, so I knew that I had to make a change and make a decision. I looked up coding courses online and found Learning People at the top of the list.

 

Were there any specific skills you were looking to gain or develop by enrolling with Learning People?

Not really. I knew a little bit about front-end development and the skills you need to do it professionally like HTML and CSS, but only had limited experience of those languages and didn’t know much about all the other languages like JavaScript, Python and Bootstrap.

 

Tell us about your experience of learning online using our system

It was really good – I enjoyed watching the tutorials and then putting everything into practice in the sandbox environments.

 

Did you utilise any of the course mentoring – if so, how did it help you?

The mentoring support was great, I had lots of calls that were out of the blue offering me help.

 

Tell us about your experience of working with our Career Services team, and what did you find most useful?

Robyn was brilliant. I really would not have been able to do it without her help. Her expertise, knowledge and constructive feedback really helped me cover all areas for getting employed. Especially with my CV which was great – I went from getting no interviews to lots. The interview preparation was really helpful too. It allowed me to be ready for all types of questions and have all the answers ready to go.

 

 

How did enrolling with Learning People affect your career ?

I have a job I like going to and doing – it’s like the icing on the cake with a cherry on top.

 

Tell us about your new job / promotion

The new job is going really well. I’m doing lots of testing and coding, finding errors and bugs and making sure everything works properly on mobile. I was excited when I first saw the role and when I came in for the interview I was still excited – and I now go to a job that I like doing! I actually come in early because I want to be here. Plus I have a great team of people that I work with.

 

What has been the best part of your Learning People experience?

I would say it’s been the unexpected support calls, and the Career Services support that’s got me into the job I’m doing now.

How has your life changed from enrolling to right now?

I wouldn’t have been able to get where I am without Learning People. Doing the course is one thing, but the expertise I had access to from my Career Consultant Stuart and Robyn in Career Services was invaluable. When I started the course it was a bit scary, but it’s been the best year ever. It’s prepared me for work and given me the skills to do what I love.

 

What advice would you give to somebody who is thinking about enrolling with Learning People?

When someone reaches out to me on LinkedIn I say, just do it. Look at what I have achieved – why wouldn’t you do it.