To celebrate International Women’s Day, we caught up with three women who lead important roles in Northcoders: Vel, Software Engineer and our Head of the JavaScript Course, Charlotte, our Chief Financial Officer, and Lucy, our Head of Partnerships & Careers. We asked them all to share some of their achievements and discuss advice they have for other women in tech. 

What are you proud of achieving since being at Northcoders?

Vel: There are several things which immediately come to mind, but a few of those can be summarised with the phrase - "the teams I have helped build". On one side, there are the many people all across the Classroom team - whilst I directly oversee the JavaScript track, many tutors I have supported have branched out into other tracks we deliver, or have moved into teaching and development roles. On the other side, there are also the graduates I supported on the Developer Incubator (now Counter) project that I led at EMaC. I am immensely proud of all the people I have worked with and supported over the years at Northcoders; seeing them grow and develop their expertise has been incredibly rewarding and fulfilling."

Charlotte: I am notoriously bad at talking about my achievements (something I definitely need to get better at), but one thing I am proud of is the policies and working arrangements I have been able to implement and change since being at Northcoders. I am able to head a company that puts people first and gives back to employees wherever it can. We strive to increase diversity in our teams and in turn, diversity in the Tech Industry, through the people that we teach. This is possible through attraction, with policies such as the 4.5 day working week, flexi time, flexible working arrangements (work from home), enhanced maternity and paternity packages, increased pension and holiday pay and private healthcare. I am proud that we have been able to achieve this whilst also creating stakeholder value. Another thing that is pretty cool is that I was the youngest CFO on the London Stock Exchange at one point, not sure if that one is still true though!

Lucy: At Northcoders, we are passionate about diversity and equality. One of the reasons we train in the way we do is to “give everyone the opportunity where their second language is code,” regardless of prior education, gender, background etc. 

Northcoders aligned with me personally from the early days as I made the decision not to go to university when I was 18 as at the time it wasn’t the right choice for me. I therefore joined the tech industry (a typically male dominant sector) without a degree, and it’s safe to say that the imposter syndrome was real! Since joining, I’m proud of the journey I’ve been on, moving from a partnerships role to a head of department role after 2 years, and over my 5.5 year tenure building a department of strong, passionate individuals with the shared vision and goals that make Northcoders great. Part of my journey has seen me be involved in hiring, training and developing individuals, business strategy planning and new product building… all things I felt were out of reach when I was younger simply because I didn’t go to university. I’m so proud of where I am, grateful for the opportunity and excited to see what the future holds as I continue forward.

What advice would you give to other women in tech?

Vel: Tech, like any other disciple, can be challenging to work in and pursue. There are many avenues into tech, and once there, there are many further paths to explore to see where you can have the biggest impact, and in return, find the most fulfilling. I firmly believe that now, perhaps more than ever, we require people in tech who are self aware, emotionally intelligent and communicate with empathy and care. The syntax of a language is something which can be looked up, but it is individuals who put all the pieces together into a meaningful whole, and I believe that women play a fundamental role in the creation of that meaningful whole."

Charlotte: Role models may not always be obvious and accessible in all environments that you move through, but how amazing is it to be able to create role models in yourself for other women to resonate with and look up to? Always believe that you are enough and there’s nothing wrong with ‘winging it’ every now and again.

Lucy: I think an environment where we are judged based purely on our capabilities rather than anything else about us is vital therefore my advice to other women in tech is pretty simple, be who you are, know what you bring to the table and don’t be afraid to shine!

Thank you to Vel, Charlotte, and Lucy for sharing their insights and celebrating these achievements with us. If you’d like to see how more women have succeeded in the tech industry, you can read some testimonials from our graduates here. Happy International Women’s Day!