At the start of January, I joined Oxford Computer Consultants as a Front End Intern. I’ll be here for another 5 months in the UX Design Studio, building up my Front End skills. Read on for more about me, what I’m doing, and my first impressions of what it’s like to work here…
My Background
I graduated with a degree in English and German Literature in 2015, but I’ve been slowly transitioning into tech since then. I worked in admin for 7 months at Code First: Girls, a non-profit that organises coding courses for women, and then as a Web Dev intern for 3 months with Zooniverse. During this time, I discovered that I really loved programming. But, I also discovered that I still have a lot to learn! So to help me with this, OCC have taken me in.
I’m very excited to have this opportunity. Internships like this provide valuable, accessible entry-point opportunities for those coming from non-traditional backgrounds. Bootcamps are great, but they are something that I couldn’t have afforded as a recent graduate.
What I’m Doing So Far…
So far, I’ve been focusing on HTML and CSS to make sure I have good understanding of core front end skills. I’ve also been learning about Web Accessibility, which is a strong focus here. Mariana, head of the UX Design Studio, recently organised an insightful talk with Molly Watt and UX Oxford. After the session Matt, a UX Designer at OCC, wrote a blog on tools and tips for Accessibility, which is a great list of resources.
Teamwork and Socials
Switching from relatively smaller non-profits to a bigger organisation, I was worried that I’d be a bit lost and lonely. But, there are lots of great social opportunities here. I have a lovely mentor, Alex, who I have regular catchups with, and working within an Agile system means that we have regular team meetings. Every Wednesday OCC also takes us out on a meal somewhere in Oxford so that we all get to meet people we don’t normally work with. There are various other fun initiatives too – for example, I’ve just entered into the OCC ‘Carcassonne Championship’!
Work, Projects and Products
I’m enjoying being in a company that picks interesting and socially-conscious projects. Ami is a wonderful initiative, and many of the other projects sound really positive too. I enjoy asking other people what they work on and hearing about all sorts of fascinating projects they’ve worked on. I’m also looking forward to seeing what we will work on in the future.
I’m really glad to be here, and I’m looking forward to continuing to learn during my time here.