Guest blog written by Caroline Galliez
Growing up, I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to pursue for my career. I changed my mind several times - from wanting to work in the hospitality industry to wanting to become a doctor. Because I didn't have a clear idea, I followed advice given by my teachers and family. Based on what I was good at at school, I studied Computer Science at university. Now I use coding every day at my job, and I don't regret it, so let me tell you why.
1. I can work in any job sector.
I may not have become a doctor, but now I can work in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology sectors. They also need a lot of technology staff, so there are many opportunities in these fields!
In the hospitality industry, there are web developers behind the booking websites and data scientists behind the recommendations that you see. Two software developers can have very different jobs, depending on which company/industry they work for, and I think it's pretty cool!
One of the reasons I wanted to become a doctor is that I like to help people. I can help people working in the tech industry. I could work for the police and help the investigations, or I could help develop a tool that would revolutionize medicine!
2. I can be creative.
One part of my job is to build graphs that are easy to understand and give them the information they need quickly. When doing that, I have to think about the kind of graph I'm going to use, but also the colors I include, as well as the fonts and size I choose. I have to use my creativity!
Or you could be creating a website, in which case, you have to think about how to design it. You have to use coding to place the different elements on the web page, to choose the different colors of the page, to make the links work, or to add cool effects. For example, an image slowly appearing when the user opens the page or a link changing color when the user hovers onto it, requires coding. There are many opportunities to express your creativity!
3. I learn new things every day.
There's always a new thing going on: a new coding language, a new feature added to the coding language you already use. For example, there may be a new function allowing you to do something more easily than before, or a new way to code something. I learn new things every day and that's something I enjoy a lot! When a piece of code doesn’t work as I expect it to work, I also have to understand why it doesn’t. It means I have to use my problem solving skills a lot, and I always learn something when doing that. Working with people from different backgrounds (not everyone who works in tech studied Computer Science in school) is also really cool. It means we work in different ways, and I can learn from that, as well.
4. I can work anywhere in the world.
I'm French, grew up and studied in France, but I wanted to live abroad to have a different cultural experience. I'm now working in Cambridge, UK. People who work in tech are needed in every country, so there are lots of opportunities to travel for work. Some people decide to work fully remote, meaning away from the office. Since all we need to do our jobs is our laptops, it's not difficult to work from anywhere!
5. Technology jobs pay well.
It's important to highlight this, too. One of the things I enjoy doing the most in my free time is traveling. That can get quite expensive, so having a good salary helps. Although I am working full time (40 hours a week), I know people who work a bit less (30 hours), which can be easier to do if you have a good salary. Making good use of your free time is important; it can be spending time with your family, volunteering for a charity like GLAM, exercising, reading, or another activity you enjoy!
I am very lucky to have a job I enjoy. These are the 5 things I enjoy the most about my coding role, but there are many other great things about it! If you have tried coding before - perhaps as part of a GLAM Event - I would love to hear what you like about it!
Caroline Galliez is a Senior Machine Learning Engineer at Arm and a valued GLAM Ambassador. With degrees in Computer Science and Microelectronics, Caroline uses this knowledge along with her expertise in data engineering and machine learning engineering to contribute to successful projects.
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