Suzy Bennett | code student testimonial

We catch up with Learning People graduate Suzy Bennett who successfully changed her career from personal relationship manager to front-end developer.

Suzy studied and completed the Diploma in Full Stack Software Development.

 

Tell us why you enquired with Learning People. 

I was working full-time in a job that I wasn’t enjoying but had access to some e-learning through my company. So I used this to work out what I wanted to do as my next career move as I just wasn’t seeing any career progression being available with my current employer. So I started playing around with some HTML and CSS and built a few different projects on my own, and then I thought, why don’t I get a qualification and do this as my new job as it was something that I really enjoyed.

 

Were there any specific skills you were looking to gain or develop by enrolling with Learning People?

I had a colleague who was also playing around with the idea of coding as a career. They had also suggested learning JavaScript, the idea was that they started with JavaScript and I started with HTML and we said that we’d meet each other in the middle – but I just really wanted all the skills to get into web design.

 

Was there a particular reason you chose to enrol with Learning People, and did you speak to any other educators or training providers?

The reviews online were very good. When I was looking for a company to start the coding course I didn’t really know where to start – but then Learning People came up on TrustPilot. There were lots of good reviews on there talking about how good the Career Services team were and how there was a lot of help along the way and a lot of good advice. I saw the reviews and Learning People looked brilliant.

 

Tell us what the career consultation phone call was like for you.

Really good actually, it was with Luke. He was very down to earth and it wasn’t like he was trying to sell something to me. It was almost the opposite, he was very honest about the work, time, and dedication to complete the course. It felt like I was speaking to someone who was interested in getting the right people on the right course.

 

How did you get on with the 5 step coding challenge?

I already knew a bit of it because I knew my way around HTML and CSS. But it really helped me confirm that the course was something I could do.

 

Tell us about your experience of learning online using our system.

It suited my learning style, with reading, videos and walkthroughs so I could code along – you’d then be taught a concept and then have a challenge. The Slack system was also really great for getting answers to questions.

 

Were you able to gain support from our StudentCare™ team when you needed it?

Yes, absolutely, I found them really helpful.

 

Did you utilise any of the course mentoring – if so, how did it help you?

I like to do a lot of research so I prepared for the calls and then asked for their advice. I had two different mentors and they were really helpful in providing real-world views and advice for accessibility or colour coordination.

 

 

How did you get on with the projects?

I like to be really organised and wanted to make sure I had time to do them, so I gave myself two weeks more than I thought I would need. I would use the materials and walkthroughs and then Google and speak to my mentors to build what I wanted the project to do – and achieved a distinction in one of them!

 

Tell us about your experience of working with our Career Services team, and what did you find most useful?

I went to the workshops and spoke a lot with Marisha who gave me brilliant advice about preparing for interviews and she was always really interested in how I was getting on. She always remembered what we’d spoken about previously and was really helpful to find the next interview or test to do.

 

How did enrolling with Learning People affect your career (new job / promotion etc)?

It’s changed it completely – and for the best. I now have my level 5 diploma and have a skill that I can show to employers with all the knowledge and experience about the career that I’ve learnt along the way.

 

Tell us about your new job / promotion.

I was lucky enough to get a job from my existing company, so I had transferable skills and am now working on front end development with them.

 

What has been the best part of your Learning People experience?

I think being able to do what I set out to do. Luke was adamant that I needed to be prepared, which was great and the fact that he worked in tech and was an expert was really valuable – and not someone who’s just trying to sell you something.

 

What advice would you give to somebody who is thinking about enrolling with Learning People?

Make sure you have the time to commit and embed yourself with the community. Go along to all the workshops and webinars as they are really friendly and you get some really helpful advice – and the other students are very willing to share their feedback too – just get stuck in.

 

If you’d like to experience world class career education and support from the experts in tech, simply get in touch with one of our code career consultants today.