Archive News

14 September 2017 Dan

0 to 1 in a year - A beginner's journey into programming

Dan, our support programmer, is known to many of our clients as the friendly voice on the other end of the phone who will go to great lengths to fix their issue. However, just one year ago, we simply knew him as the guy who popped in to drop off his CV. Here he tells his story of how he arrived at our door and what happened next.

"Hello World….. Is a phrase you commonly meet when you learn how to be a web developer and is also apt for my situation embarking into a new world of skills and work. ‘Hello Senior World’ may be more appropriate for my situation. I have always had a keen thirst for knowledge, especially technologies as I have an innate curiosity for the way things work and the systems that govern them. I’ve always been drawn to computer programming and web development, so having an opportunity to learn under the tutelage of my brother there were no hesitations; it was full steam ahead for the world of programming.

After 9 months and I had passed 2 Microsoft exams and been working as a volunteer for a commercial company for 6 months. Now was the time to start applying to companies to gain a position where I could start out solving problems with web applications and computer code and gain enough skills to be able to call myself a web developer one day. I drew up a list of the top 10 companies in Nottingham and began drawing up covering letters, an online profile and CV of my recent developments. This is when I came across Senior Internet. Senior seemed to be a major player in the Content Management Systems area on website and application development and also the right size to accommodate a potential employee requiring commercial experience such as myself.

Dan writing article

So, in keeping with my pro-active nature and motivation to begin my commercial journey through the web development world, I decided to personally visit each of the top 10 companies in Nottingham I’d selected and deliver my CV and covering letter by hand. I believe meeting potential employers face to face helps a great deal with prospective business relationships. Suffice to say I got the job and became part of a team. Or should I say a member of an organisation. Senior Internet seem to embody the type of web application they develop; Membership Content Management Systems. Working for them feels much like being a welcomed member of a professional establishment, and this embodiment of the work they do was one of the things that most attracted me to the agency. They really believe in the importance of groups and organisations strengthening individuals to create a greater entity when together. 

My role was to take the reins within the Technical Support department, through which I would learn to work with and understand the bespoke code of their software whilst also gaining a deeper general understanding of computer programming as a whole. This seemed to be a perfect fit for the stage I was at in my programming journey; a tertiary base of knowledge with a motivation and desire to learn all I could. As well as doing a lot of work in my own time I could ask questions about coding whenever I wanted and time would be made available to develop my knowledge. This further compounds Senior Internet living the work they do for membership organisations; myself, the individual with motivation and desire to better myself and Senior Internet, the organisation, welcoming me into the business assisting my learning and development so we could both become stronger, together."

View more like this: What we mean by ‘full-service’

Want to receive monthly articles and updates containing advice and inspiration for the membership, nonprofit and charity community? Why not subscribe to Senior's mailing list?

Tweets