The evening provided insight into how to pursue a career in technology and the skills required to get ahead. The night kicked off with three speakers, including Ticketmaster’s own Front End Engineers, Oliver Turner and Jo Franchetti. Here the speakers shared their own experiences of how they first got into tech and their own diverse career paths. It was clear from the stories shared that there is no typical route to follow when considering a career in this industry, all it takes is a bit of passion and commitment to get going.
The aim of the night was to educate and inform those at a career crossroads, those wishing to change career paths, or those who might have been on hiatus from tech and looking to return. The room was full of people from various backgrounds – from a psychiatrist through to Public Affairs officer both looking to get back into the tech world, seasoned tech pro’s and those just starting out in the industry.
The advice that these three speakers offered was invaluable, reminding the audience that this field is very fast pace, there is always a new framework, a fashionable way of writing your code or a new tool to use. Joanna advised not to get overwhelmed by all of it, get your basics down (your html, css and javascript) and then you can start building on a strong foundation.
In this field the best way to learn is to do! Coming up with a website or piece of functionality that you want to build and just giving it a go. Not getting put off if a project goes wrong and asking for help if feel like you’re stuck. There are many networks of front end developers and a wealth of knowledge and support available on the internet, just get involved.
We look forward to opening our doors to more tech minds at the next General Assembly!
