My Parachute into Tech

I've been a data analyst, a primary school teacher, a global implementation lead and a learning manager. But now, in my mid-thirties, I've finally found my calling as a programmer. Here's how a parachute helped me get here…

Ok, so let's rewind.

As a child, I was never one of those people who knew what they wanted to be when they grew up. Not that it really bothered me back then. I was busy being a kid.

When I got to college, I simply chose subjects that I was reasonably good at, which happened to be maths and science (with some sport thrown in for good measure). A similar pattern emerged when I had to pick what to study at university. I hedged my bets and chose a joint honors in Maths and Chemistry but I still had no idea what I was going to do with it all.

After all of my partying studying, it was time to join the real world. I had to get a J.O.B (uurgh!). And of course, what does a guy with a Maths and Chemistry degree do? He goes and works at Tesco, of course.

Actually, I made a late call not to study for a PGCE (to become a teacher) and fell into my role at Tesco. It was very much a 'it's not what you know, but who you know' scenario. My sister's friend's boyfriend's cousin (or some other family association) had an opening for a junior data analyst. Eager to earn that first real paycheck, I threw myself into the interview process and I was fortunate enough to get the job. The time had arrived, time to step onto the professional ladder and start working my way to the top. That's what we're all supposed to do, right?

Fast forward 5 years and I'd done the rounds (having worked with some amazing people, may I add). Data analyst. Check. Customer service exec. Check Merchandiser. Check. I'd learned so much about the world of business and retail, but something wasn't right. Something deep down. There was a metaphorical itch that needed scratching…

So, about that itch.

You'll remember from earlier that I said I gave up a place on a PGCE. Well, I couldn't shake the idea that maybe I actually did want to be a teacher. It spoke to my inner desire to help people. I was also a jack-of-all-trades, which meant teaching maths, science, art, sport and everything between as a primary school teacher sounded quite appealing.

So, I re-trained. And I was/am a pretty good teacher - I achieved qualified teacher status with 'outstanding' progress and was ready to take off the training wheels. It was time to share my knowledge, wisdom and very poor jokes with a classroom full of 8-year olds. We had a blast!

Jump forward another 5 years though, and I was ready to take my teaching to a new level. I wanted to broaden my horizons, taking the skills I'd developed as a teacher and apply them in the world of Learning and Development (L&D). For those unaware of what L&D professionals do, they help people develop skills and knowledge in the workplace, either delivering workshops and training sessions, or by creating and implementing company-wide policies designed to support the development of their people. And it happened. I took on the role as L&D Manager for an EdTech (Educational Technology) company. It seemed to make sense - I was combining the commercial experience from my time at Tesco, with the more recent teaching experience. Perfect!

Then, the world stopped.

Well, not exactly. But the COVID pandemic definitely had a huge impact around the world.

With the UK being 'locked down' for so long during the pandemic, my life, like so many others, slowed down. It forced me to reflect on life and what was important to me. So much of what we were used to, things we often took for granted, had been taken away from us. With this paradigm shift, I realised that I wasn't happy.

For so long, I'd been following a path that I thought I should be following. A path that says to be 'successful' you have to work long hours, subscribe to the JFDI way of working (Google it, if you don't know), earn lots of money and get a big house. All without really thinking about why I was doing what I was doing. I was so busy doing what I thought would make me happy, I didn't stop to think about what actually made me happy, what motivated me, what made me want to get up and go! I needed to make a change, but I didn't know where to start.

Until, I found my parachute.

That's right. A parachute. Not the kind you're thinking of, sadly. It's not the 'jump out of a plane and pull the cord' kind of parachute, but the book What color is your parachute? written by Richard N Bolles. It's what gave me the direction I needed at a time where I felt lost.

Bolles expertly encourages his readers to diverge from the 'traditional' way of thinking about jobs. Instead of thinking about what job you might want to do, or what job title you're looking for, he encourages you to create a unique self-inventory that helps design your career - and your life - around your key passions, transferable skills, motivational triggers, and personality traits. In doing so, I developed a deeper understanding of the type of work and working environment that I was most suited to.

Completing the exercises set out in the book, I now had a list of the things that were truly important to me which would guide me on my quest to find career satisfaction. And whilst I appreciate that some of what follows might sound abstract, it helped me articulate what I was looking for. Here's some of the things that ended up on my list:

• ⚡ Being creative
• ⚡ Building or restoring things
• ⚡ Researching
• ⚡ Visible/instant outcomes
• ⚡ Design
• ⚡ Continuous learning
• ⚡ Technology
• ⚡ Variety in work and location
• ⚡ Solving problems
• ⚡ See the direct impact of my work
• ⚡ Improving process
• ⚡ Hybrid working

Do you notice how there isn't a job title in sight? These are all about what I respond well to, what motivates me, what I enjoy doing, reading or talking about, and the type of environment I like to work in.

So, I began to think about what type of job might hit all the right spots. What type of role would allow me to be me, and do as many of the things that I enjoy all at once? Granted, it's rare to enjoy every single thing about a job, but it felt like a really good place to start. And after some self-reflection and long chats with my wife and family, I found myself being drawn to graphic design (no pun intended… or maybe there was). It felt right.

Now I can hear you all saying, “But Matt, that isn't programming!”. And you'd be right, I wasn't programming but I was doing something that I genuinely enjoyed. And it was exciting. I learned colour theory, design patterns, typography, and design software, which helped me on my way to setting up an Etsy store, selling my very own wall art designs. Feel free to check it out here!

Then, something wonderful happened!

I saw the overlap between designing for print and designing for the web. So, I let it ride. I began to explore the world of web design, learning how to write HTML and CSS. Soon, I was adding JavaScript to bring it all to life. And now, at the time of writing this, I'm dipping my toes into the ever-expanding pool of libraries and frameworks such as React, Vue, Bootstrap and Tailwind.

I love it.

Now, I'd be lying if I said it was easy. It's not. I have so much still to learn and I have moments of frustration when I can't make something work, but I wouldn't change a thing. I can't put it down. When I'm building something for the web, I'm in my element. I lose sense of time and space and find myself in a state of flow every time I sit down at the laptop.

It's almost like I found what I was looking for - a career path that I can enjoy and grow into, not grow out of. A career path that requires continuous learning and a thirst for knowledge, that rewards precision and attention to detail, whilst allowing me to be creative and explore new things. A career, dare I say it, where I'll be happy for all the right reasons.