From Archaeologist to Software Engineer

“Prior to learning to code I was an archaeological conservator. So, I did all the kinds of laboratory work associated with an excavation. Conservation is a lovely field, but it doesn’t pay exceedingly well — and it’s often on a contract basis. The pandemic was a bit of a wake-up call for me. I found myself thinking, Oh goodness, I don’t even have sick pay. If we get shut down, I’ll find myself in a country with none of my family and no support.

I knew I needed a change. So, I googled, ‘What’s the easiest coding language to learn,’ and started asking around.  I came across Codecademy and started to use it to teach myself Python. That way I could see how I felt about coding as a career option.”

How I made time to learn 

“It was really easy to make time in the middle of the pandemic because there wasn’t much else to do. It was a great distraction and something to keep my brain active.

I think the hardest part actually comes after learning a new skill, which is to put it into practice in a new job. I applied for a graduate role, which is quite nice in the sense that you sort of get trained on the job — you don’t really need the full suite of skills going in. This was perfect for me as a new, self-taught starter who felt less prepared than everyone else who had years of coding under their belt.

I have definitely suffered from impostor syndrome of some sort. I sometimes think, ‘I’m not sure how I ended up here, surrounded by people who have been working in the industry for 20 years, have computer science degrees, and ‘grew up building their own computers in their backyards.’ Meanwhile, I just sat down and learned some code.”

How I saved up money to switch careers 

“I was very lucky that learning with Codecademy was not something that required me to save money, since I had just started a paid graduate program at NatWest. All I did was learn Python through Codecademy and then started applying to graduate programs.”

How long it took me to land a job 

“Again, I was very lucky. It took me about 6-8 months once I started seriously applying.”

How I got in the door 

“I do feel that I found a company that was looking for a variety. They weren’t just looking for the kind of people who’d been trained in the same school and know the same stuff. They were very much on the lookout for new perspectives because they understand people think in different ways.

I believe my archaeology background also helped me land the job. My whole job in archaeology, and especially in conservation, is to notice and take care of things. It’s also very detail oriented. I might sit and clean an archaeological find under a microscope for 150 hours over three months. Those skills translate well to coding.”

How I nailed the interview 

“It was really quite good. I did some coding interviews while interviewing for other companies, but for this one in particular, there wasn’t actually coding elements aside from logic and reasoning.

Most of our interview process was a group interview where we had to work together as a team. So they were observing our people skills more than our technical skills.” 

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How I evaluated the offer 

“I honestly didn’t even look to see how the salary compared to others in the market because I had been making an archaeologist’s salary, which was not great. So, what they offered me was way more money than I ever made in my life!

I really liked the fact that I’d start through their graduate program, which not only gave me the opportunity to get trained in coding on the job, but also to work and learn within many departments in the organization. Also, I liked that they wanted to invest this time to make you a more well-rounded and valuable employee. I was sold!”

How day one and beyond went 

“I had an interesting start. I was living in Greece, but I needed to return to the US to process my visa, as it needed to be done from your home country. I finally got my visa the day before my first day of work. Also, my new role was in Scotland, so I had to book a last-minute plane ticket because I couldn’t book anything until I knew I had the visa. I flew overnight and didn’t have anywhere to live, so I ended up living in a hotel for three weeks while I hunted for a flat. My first day on the job was via Zoom from my hotel room.” 

What advice I would give to others

• “Just go for it. The only way really to figure out whether or not you like something is just to try it. If you sit down and start coding and you’re like, ‘Oh, I can’t imagine anything duller than doing this for the rest of my life,’ then it’s probably not your niche.”
• “But if you’ve thought about it, try it. I know it can be quite scary, especially if you’re leaving behind a job to make that leap and just step into the unknown. But if you don’t do it, you won’t know.”
• “You can always change again. I think sometimes people feel that they get quite stuck and it is scary, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. So go out and just see how it goes.”