Student Story: Deniz

Deniz

Deniz wanted to change her career, so she started searching for ways to learn how to code.

When she found CodeYourFuture, the course seemed to provide all of the programming and problem-solving skills she wanted. 

Before starting with CYF, Deniz had never written a line of code. She struggled at times but made use of all the support offered at CodeYourFuture.

Claire Bickley, CYF West Midlands Regional Manager, could see Deniz was determined from the first day they met, “It was in the very early days of CodeYourFuture West Midlands when our workshops were run from local coffee shops. Deniz would come every week and was always there to support others. To me, Deniz didn’t see failure as an option, she would keep trying and trying until she succeeded with her code.” 

Deniz says, “The CYF program is incredible. I struggled a lot with JavaScript. At times I thought about giving up, but CYF was always there for us.” 

Getting help from the community

Deniz received help from many people: her career mentor, the program coordinators, a development mentor and a technical mentor. In addition, she also had her buddy group of other CYF trainees help her through difficult times. 

“I graduated because of this fantastic community,” Deniz says. 

Learning about new opportunities from external companies

CYF also partners with external companies to help with trainee development. While acting as a project manager on a hackathon with Capgemini, Deniz realised that she was ready to start her journey into the tech industry.

“I was a Project Manager working with professionals, and I realised that I had become more confident and more resilient.” 

She enjoyed her experience of being a Project Manager so much she applied to Capgemini as a Scrum Master and got the job! 

Clair says ‘Deniz is a brilliant communicator and would always be sure to include others in her projects. Working as a Scrum Master seems like a logical career move for Deniz now that she has the foundational knowledge of software engineering from CYF. I know she’ll go from strength to strength.”

Starting a new career!

Deniz is now looking forward to her new challenges at Capgemini. She offers this advice to new applicants, “CYF is a life-changing experience. Bring your commitment and resilience!”

Claire: I knew Deniz was determined from the first day we met. It was in the very early days of CodeYourFuture West Midlands when our workshops were run from local coffee shops. She would come every week and was always there to support others. To me, Deniz didn’t see failure as an option, she would keep trying and trying until she succeeded with her code. 

She is a brilliant communicator and would always be sure to include others in her projects. Working as a Scrum Master seems like a logical career move for Deniz now that she has the foundational knowledge of software engineering from CYF. I know she’ll go from strength to strength.

Are you interested in joining the CYF community as a volunteer? Visit our volunteer page and register your interest as a CYF volunteer.