Meet our Academy Consultants – Laura Dickinson

We’re proud to welcome people from all backgrounds into the Ten10 Academy, especially those looking for a change of course and have that spark for a career in tech. Laura Dickinson studied Psychology at the University of Liverpool before joining our Academy in 2023. Since then she’s excelled with her client in the Aerospace industry, so we caught up with her to chat about her work and how she’s grown through 2024.

How do you feel you’ve transitioned from the Ten10 Academy to your client work?

I feel as though my transition was pretty smooth – I completed additional development training with Peter (Russell) in the run-up to my client start date which gave me some extra time to get my head around programming and make moving arrangements from my home to Southampton. When I started with my client, I was given plenty of time to get comfortable and upskill in the relevant tools I would be using for my project.

Take us through your placement, where are you currently working?

I am currently placed at a software engineering role in the aerospace industry. The project I have been working on is a rewrite of one of the existing features of an air traffic control simulator, which is what my software practice primarily produces work for. We have been working on this rewrite in its very initial stages which has given us the opportunity to see the beginning of a project’s lifespan.

What parts of the Ten10 Academy training have been most useful in your placement?

I have found that the Agile and Scrum modules have been very handy as our current project is working in a Scrum format. I had no previous knowledge of these frameworks prior to Ten10 so having this knowledge in advance set me up really well to get stuck straight into my project. Furthermore, the Development training during our core primer was very useful. As someone who did not come from a STEM background, I needed to rewire my brain to think like a software engineer and the core training gave me a really good foundation for this.

What is a normal working day or week for you?

Typically, I begin my day by getting the easier tasks out of the way, so sending/replying to emails, scheduling meetings, completing timesheets etc., which takes me up to my daily stand-up at 10am. Following that, I begin working on my planned work from the backlog, then take a break at lunch (coding for hours can be very tiring so it’s very important to take breaks), and then carry on into the afternoon. We have a sprint planning on the first Monday of our two-week sprints where we decide what work from the backlog each of us is going to aim to undertake during that sprint. At the end of the two weeks, we have our sprint review with stakeholders and go through what we did during the sprint and any issues we had.

Have your roles and responsibilities changed during your time on placement?

Since starting my placement, I have undertaken a few different responsibilities. At the start, when we were waiting for our project to commence, we were asked to do some work for someone else in the business. I found this really insightful as it gave us the opportunity to develop software external to the simulator. Since January, I have been on this rewrite project consistently – as this stage of the project is coming to an end, we have been asked to aid a new starter in the coming weeks and do some more work for someone else in the business which again allows us to expand our knowledge and experience.

What technology, tools, frameworks, and processes have you gained experience with since starting client work?

The project I am currently working on uses a multitude of technologies as it is in the feasibility and options phase. This basically means we are testing the plausibility of using certain technologies in future stages leading up to the final product. Some of the tools, technologies and languages we have used so far are: Git, GitHub, Ubuntu, React, JavaScript/TypeScript, Django, GeoDjango, Python, Azure, Docker, and PostgreSQL.

How has your client supported your development?

My client has offered several long-term career development opportunities. They currently have a graduate scheme, so they are used to helping people in their early careers. We have been offered career coaching, free training courses, weekly catch-ups with our line manager and daily project stand-ups. We have often requested more information or training about certain other aspects of the company and we are always given the necessary tools or pointed in the right direction of what we need.

What support have you received from Ten10 during your placement?

The Wellbeing team has always been on hand to aid me with any queries or concerns I have. They helped with my relocation and induction, and they plan regular Academy socials across different locations. I have also been provided with courses that I want to learn and learning resources by business support.

Have you been given any extra opportunities through your client work?

There are plenty of networks at my client that employees can join. We have been invited to many of these such as the Young Professionals Network and the Women’s Network. They hold regular events and meetings with different topics and activities. I have thoroughly enjoyed attending these so far and find them incredibly insightful.