Single mum Sumaya made a life-changing career switch when she joined a coding Skills Bootcamp through Skills for Life

WHEN lockdown hit the UK in March 2020, Sumaya Hassan, 30, already had plenty on her plate.

A single mum to her four-year-old son and her sister’s full-time carer, she worked as a freelance graphic designer in her spare time. 

But despite juggling so many responsibilities, Sumaya had another burning ambition: to learn how to code.

“I’d built a website using instructions I found online, and couldn’t believe I could create something out of nothing just like that,” says Sumaya, who lives in Birmingham.

“I wanted to learn more, but I didn’t think it was possible for me – I didn’t have the money, and it felt too late to learn something new.”

But when Covid-19 hit, Sumaya realised she needed to find a more sustainable career path.

“I discovered there were short courses at the University of Birmingham,” she explains. “So, I applied to join one of their coding bootcamps.”

With lessons conducted online in the evenings and at weekends, Sumaya had the flexibility to continue caring for her sister and son while she learnt.

“It was challenging, but so much fun,” she says. “I was juggling a lot, but I received a lot of practical and emotional support from the university.

“My favourite project was when a group of us used the programming languages we’d learnt to build a mindfulness and journalling app. It came out beautifully, and seeing what we had achieved made me realise a career in coding was definitely for me.”

During her final project, Sumaya was approached by the clothing brand Gymshark and was offered a job as a front-end website developer.

“I was so proud of what I’d achieved during the bootcamp, and now I have a new career, which I never dreamt would happen,” she says.

“If you want to learn a new skill, regardless of your age or background, I’d say go for it because your life could change for the better.”

Let’s get digital

Professor Nicola Wilkin, Director of Education at the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Birmingham.

“People join our Skills Bootcamps for many reasons – to change careers, gain a promotion, or to simply learn something new.

“Students can study flexibly, with the chance to learn online and in-person, which means lots of them can continue to work.

“There’s lots of support available, including experienced tutors, dedicated student success managers, and our wellbeing resource, UBHeard – which has 24-hour online support.

“Students also have access to our Careers Network teams, which help to prepare them to compete for jobs. A few of our graduates now work for international tech companies – Sumaya is one
of our many success stories.”

Want to know more? Visit the Skills for Life website at skillsforlife.campaign.gov.uk, or call the National Careers Service
on 0800 100 900