It’s no secret that the tech industry across the board is looking to attract greater numbers of diverse talent to apply for STEM roles. In the last month, we attended the STEM Generation event and Showcode Athena’s All Women and Non-Binary Hackathon Tech event in London, which both focus on bringing people of all abilities and backgrounds together to inspire the next generation in STEM.
Our very own Sheb Saunders, Software Engineer and Solutions Architect, joined the events to share her story. At the Hackathon, Sheb also ran an in-person workshops, where she shared tech tips and advice for candidates taking part in the hack, giving the benefit of her personal experience since coming into the industry.
We took time at the events to catch-up with Sheb and learn more about her unconventional journey into tech, and how she is working to inspire others that may have similar backgrounds to pursue a career in STEM.
What was your background prior to joining BAE Systems Digital Intelligence and what inspired you to pursue a career in tech?
“Before joining BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, I worked as a supermarket cashier. Alongside that, I studied for my Master’s Degree in Urban Planning and Development, which actually inspired me to pursue a
career in tech. What initially attracted me to tech was a module during my Masters that looked at geographical information systems. This uses pieces of software and data to create maps that can visualise population hot spots, for example, through the Python programming language.
I started to teach myself Python and it planted a seed in my mind. I wasn’t enjoying my Masters, and I didn’t like my job at the supermarket. So, I looked up coding boot camps with a view to starting one after my degree. I came across the School of Code, a free 16-week boot camp, which was created to tackle the lack of diversity in tech. I got through the application and interview process, in which I was required to create a game using the Scratch application. I had a dilemma in that I couldn’t postpone my degree so I took the risk, as I wasn’t enjoying it anyway and dropped out.
After the boot camp, I applied for a number of roles. I saw BAE Systems Digital Intelligence post a job on the School of Code. I applied and went through the application process, which also involved of building an app. As you can guess from where I’m standing now, I was successful, and I’ve never looked back.”
What attracted you to speaking at Showcode Athena’s Hackathon?
“A lot of my peers who’d witnessed my journey first hand encouraged me to share my story at the event as it would resonate with others. If I had told my past self, I would be a Software Engineer, I wouldn’t have believed it. I didn’t think I’d have the brains for it and thought I should just stick to humanities subjects because I was good at it. My belief in myself in regards to tech was low until I tried Python – I thought if I spend time learning it, I can do it and be successful.”
How did you find both events and what were your key highlights?
“The Showcode Athena Hackathon event was really eye-opening. There were so many different women and non-binary people from varied backgrounds. From computer science graduates to even trainee nurses, the event really succeeded in including as much diverse and under-represented groups as possible. A highlight for me was personally helping the participants with their projects. A lot of people I spoke to were at first apprehensive about participating in the event due to a lack of experience and then in the end came out with a new found confidence. That was really great to see and I am sure a lot of them will do well in the future.
The STEM generation event was also amazing. I met people from undergraduates doing cyber security to people who had a similar non-tech backgrounds as me. It was really cool to engage with the attendees, as well as give a live presentation about my own personal journey.
Overall, both events were really insightful. It was lovely to meet people who are eager to transform their lives and enter tech.”
Did you have any misconceptions about pursuing a career in technology before applying for your role with us?
“The biggest misconception I had about working in tech was that I did not have the “brains” for it. I know I am smart, but my educational background is in arts and humanities. It was all I had ever known and I was pretty good at it too, so I thought I would never be good in a STEM career. Even after completing my coding boot camp, a part of me still feared that my brain would not get the hang of the type of thinking needed for software development.
It would be a lie for me to say those doubts no longer exist. But after working at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, I am slowly realising that that type of thinking (the computational sort) is developed with time. It is not something that you either have or you don’t. My team (Digital Solutions) have been incredibly patient with me. They see I am enthusiastic to learn and take the time to help me. It is evident that they value me as a team member and it is them who constantly remind me that I do have what it takes. For that, I am grateful.”
What would your advice be to someone thinking of starting or switching to a career in tech?
“My advice would be just to have a try. There’s tons of free resources online that can help people learn to code. For instance, if you’re like me and are working and studying at the same time, just dedicate an hour or so messing around with code. Start a free code camp and see how you like the feel of it. For me, it was just trying - having a little taste and playing around that sparked my interest to think I can really do this!”
Are you interested in starting a career in tech? Learn more about our roles.
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Diversity and Inclusion
Embracing difference - the best people for our business come from all sorts of backgrounds. Our focus on diversity and inclusion helps us to find and engage the best people; embracing talent from all walks of life
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