“I have just had the chance to look at the children’s projects in detail I wanted to say how impressed I am with what they have produced ... Thanks for your passion and hard work."
Why Coding?
My first steps in to coding came as a volunteer, setting up and running coding clubs at my son's primary school a couple of years ago. Whilst I initially had no coding experience, I had the confidence and experience of working in IT project management and decided to share and build on this to fill a void in a school where I had already developed relationships as a volunteer and reading mentor.
The club quickly evolved to target disadvantaged children that face extra challenges in reaching their potential. The enthusiasm it created among children, teachers and parents led me to other schools in East London ... and so ByteSizedIT was born!
The experience has been a revelation for me. During this time I have found a ‘fit’ with coding as well as a passion for mentoring and learning to a level that I haven’t had before. As with the children, the more I have learnt, the more I have wanted to learn. I have found coding to be fun but also empowering, offering the opportunity for logical thinking as well as creativity; encouraging you to question things and seek out answers…
Why Founders and Coders?
Around the time I started volunteering with schools, I also came across an interview with Dan Sofer of Founders and Coders. Inspired by the underlying messages of inclusivity, diversity, community and helping others, the ethos resonated with me and what I was trying to do (in a small way) with children.
It also helped me to garner the confidence that software development could be a viable career path for me: even now at the heady age of 45.
The peer-led learning and collaborative approach fostered at Founders and Coders is key to this, and has already been brought alive through the application process. Once again, I have really enjoyed the opportunity to support and be supported, as many of us have learnt together during this period.
As well collaborating to complete prerequisites, we’ve also shared useful resources to help explain programming terms and concepts. This led me to having a go at building my own search tool, linking to the sites that have been recommended with the idea that others could use it too.
Looking forward, as well as the opportunity to do more peer learning, I am excited by the prospect of working on team projects and, ultimately, ‘real-life’ ones that engender a sense of community and social impact. The Tech for Better scheme also represents the opportunity to extend my learning beyond the code alone, bridging the transition to professional web-developer.
Beyond graduation, I am excited by the role of near peer mentor, not only as a way of ‘passing it on’ but also to cement my own learning. I have loved working with the people I’ve met with so far and am keen to maintain the community and the relationships forged both now and in the future.
Why me?
I am white, male and university educated. But that’s not how I define myself. Throughout life my values have led me to try to educate myself about the different barriers people face and, where I can, help transfer the benefits of my privilege to others.
Through the organisations that I’ve worked with (such as the NHS), as well as those that I’ve volunteered for (such as Save the Children), I’ve shared the value that Founders and Coders places on community and helping others.
I also thrive when working in teams that represent a diversity of experiences and perspectives. My three years as part of the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Programme while living in Osaka are an example of this, highlighting the benefits that come from people learning new ways of thinking together.
Having begun working on the Founders and Coders prerequisites 18 months ago, life threw me a curve ball, unexpectedly leading me to take on the challenge of becoming a carer. During this time I have proven myself to be self-motivated, prepared to do long hours, and stubborn in the face of repeated set backs. Attributes that make me well suited to the FAC style of learning.
Throughout I have remained committed to Founders and Coders. Since re-engaging in March I have attended all available meet ups and used the time I’ve had to connect with others in the community directly through the slack channels. I have regularly offered to set up and join in online meetings, keeping up each other’s motivation and momentum as we have all battled through a difficult year.
Above all, I would be grateful for the chance to contribute to something that inspires and has impact - as part of a cohort, an alumni, a mentor and beyond. In my dream situation I’d love to come full circle and take what I’ve learnt to work with young people and children in community projects.
If you are still not sure that this all adds up, click and you can do the math😉!
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Neville + FAC =
😍
Course Prerequisites+
You can click on the links below to see my freeCodeCamp and CodeWars profile pages, as well as Codecademy courses that I have used to solidify and extend my learning in areas including Git. I have also found HarvardX to be awesome in helping me to understand many concepts.
Together, these sites have given me the building blocks to get creative with code - literally! Please click the lego brick 
to see an example!
- 450+ points earned on freeCodeCamp
- 4 kyu reached & 700+ honour points earned on Codewars
- 300+ badges & 2000+ points earned on Codecademy
- HarvardX's CS50 Intro to Computer Science & Web Programming with Python and JavaScript
Click here for this site's GitHub repo.
*lego brick by Lluisa Iborra from the Noun Project
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Highest: 0
Welcome to Tetris!
Move left: left arrow on keyboard OR ◀ button on touch screen;
Move right: right arrow key OR ▶ button;
Move down: down arrow key OR ▼ button;
Spin: up arrow key OR ꩜ button.
Click the Start button to begin. Good Luck!
ByteSizedIT
While addressing key learning objectives from the new computing curriculum, ByteSizedIT programmes give children the opportunity to apply problem solving, math and creative thinking skills, producing projects that allow their ideas and personalities to shine.
Sample projects by year 6 children:
Feedback for ByteSizedIT:
“Computer coding club made a huge difference on my son’s thinking ... He is not just playing games on the computer any more but ‘making’ them himself... He is proudly talking about how he directs characters, backgrounds and music ... he is not just playing his own game quietly in his room but presenting it to us, even explaining details, so we can communicate more often.”
“... it built confidence in some children whilst others excelled in their IT knowledge. The children’s ability just grew and grew and they really enjoyed making their own games ... Some children have gone home and shown siblings how to code.”
“I love coding club because it’s fun. Now I know all the different techniques I can make my own games at home and code them to work however I want."
My Robot PrototypeTM
Years in the making and inspired by Toy Story, click to see a sneak preview of My Robot PrototypeTM. Please watch to the end for the credits 😊
*buzz by Soy Galem from the Noun Project
Ok, so some poetic licence. But like a computer, My Robot PrototypeTM uses input, a processor, memory and output ... and just like working towards becoming a Full Stack Developer, it's been a huge learning curve for me. For each, the road to development has involved many a late night, some grey hairs, plenty of ups ... and a few downs! There's been lots of challenges, talking to myself, repetition (oh, the repetition!), team work, and the support of a fantastic community; It's been awesome. The potential is endless, the future exciting!
Click here to see what happened next!