Ellie learned about CodeYourFuture while attending a women in tech event in 2019. She was immediately drawn to our mission of diversifying the tech industry. Ellie wanted to give back and share her experience transitioning into tech, so she decided to volunteer with CYF as a teaching assistant and mentor. Ellie said, “I changed careers into tech in 2017 and … Read More
How CodeYourFuture Makes a Social Impact
Many folks want to make a meaningful impact in their local communities. In this article, we explain what social impact means to us, and how we create positive societal change. We also explain the roles people can play in making a positive social impact along with us. What is social impact in today’s society? When people take action that makes … Read More
Mark’s volunteer story: using his professional experience to make an impact
Mark’s journey with CodeYourFuture began with an introduction to CodeYourFuture by “Bravestarts”, an organisation that helps mature people transition into new roles. Using his experience to make a real impact Mark wanted to use his IT management skills to make a difference in the community and found CodeYourFuture the perfect fit. “I wanted to use my IT management skills to … Read More
Saarah’s volunteer story: personal growth and development
From KPIs to passion Saarah learned about CYF through her employer, Ernst & Young. As part of her individual KPIs and corporate social responsibility, she joined a volunteering initiative at Ernst & Young. She joined as a coding volunteer, but soon found her passion in personal development and became a PD volunteer. Reflecting on her own challenges to inspire others … Read More
Douglas’ trainee story: from manual labour to a career in tech
Before CodeYourFuture, Douglas worked in manual labour. “A typical day involved waking up at 5am to start work at 7am”, he says. “When covid hit in 2020, we could not work for 4 months, I considered the idea of finding an alternative career.” “I’ve always wanted to know what is going on behind the scenes of websites.” explains Douglas, “I … Read More
Colette’s trainee story: coming back to her passion
Colette grew up in a poverty-stricken housing development in Linwood in the 1980s. The area was rundown and desolate – “It was not a healthy environment to grow up in”, she says. Colette only discovered in adulthood that she had dyslexia. As a result of this learning difficulty and the challenges that came with her circumstances, she didn’t receive any secondary … Read More
Volunteer Stories: Nadia
Hey everyone, I’m Nadia Zhuk, a full-stack software engineer currently working at Intercom and living in London. I’m happy to share my impressions as a new volunteer at Code Your Future. Discovering volunteering with CYF I had done little volunteering before joining Code Your Future, but I’d been interested in giving back to the community for a while. I didn’t know anyone in … Read More
Volunteer Story: Aghogho
Aghogho’s desire to give back to the best of her ability stems from her background as a Welsh-British immigrant from Nigeria. “I witnessed the financial and emotional struggle of my parents”, she says, recalling “their tenacity over the years to secure the necessary papers and jobs to give myself and my siblings a better future.” She heard about CYF volunteering … Read More
Student Story: Omolola
CodeYourFuture (CYF) trains refugees and people who have financial, social or other challenges in coding. The program is free and helps graduates secure meaningful work in tech. CYF alumni Omolola shares how her lack of experience did not stop her from launching her career in IT. Making ‘IT’ work While Omolola knew that she wanted to work in the exciting … Read More
Our Leadership Program: Hinde’s Journey From Engineer To Manager
CodeYourFuture (CYF) trains people from underprivileged backgrounds in coding and employability skills, and helps them find good jobs in the tech industry. While developing our trainees’ technical – or ‘hard’ – skills is a big part of what we do, we also foster their professional development through ‘soft’ skills like problem-solving, teamwork, making decisions and managing people. Our experience connecting … Read More