Coding the Future: Developer Spotlight – Nathan Parsley

In May 2023, Nathan Parsley joined the Level 5 Diploma in Web Application Development programme, delivered at East Kent College Group (Ashford) by Rachel Furlong using the Code Institute learning platform.

The course equips learners with full-stack software development skills, preparing them to enter the digital workforce in various roles.

Nathan has completed the programme and has recently joined Defence firm Helyx as an Software Engineer, Nathan has kindly agreed to share his story with us for this developer spotlight.

Nathan’s Interview

Tell us about yourself and how you found your way to this programme.

I found out about the Code Institute programme through an advert on Instagram

What are you passionate about (in general)?

In general, I am passionate about family and my hobbies, which include fishing, surfing, and tinkering with technology such as Raspberry Pi.

What appeals to you about coding?

I enjoy coding because you can make essentially anything you can think of, from a dashboard to track Formula One cars during a race to providing updates on frequently discounted products.

What can you say about your experience with EKC Ashford as part of this journey?

They were very quick and efficient in all the onboarding processes.

What are the main things you learned on the course?

I believe I had quite good knowledge of certain areas of programming before embarking on the course. However, the course itself gave me the boost in knowledge I needed to take my skills to the next level and ensure I followed best practices during projects.

How has the course helped you to progress?

As previously mentioned, I learned the best practices and ways to tackle a problem. I was also exposed to more frameworks that I had not had previous experience with, which enabled me to be more efficient and tie multiple technologies together.

What are the main challenges you have had to overcome while learning?

The main challenge I focused on while studying for the course was time management. I had to balance work, other studies, and personal time alongside this course in order to stay on schedule.

What do you like about learning on the Code Institute platform?

The Code Institute platform is intuitive and very accessible to students who may not have very up-to-date technology. Everything is included within the platform and the support systems in place are impeccable.

What are you most proud of developing so far?

Using the knowledge I gained from the course, I developed a new way of working within my previous career. The project revolutionised the future direction of my trade.

What would you recommend to other learners considering learning to code?

I personally learned by disassembling completed projects to find out how they were done. Even without knowing the main theory or reasoning behind it, I gained insight into how things worked before diving into courses.

What is your long-term goal with these skills?

My long-term goal is to continue my development in my current role as a software engineer and potentially create software to drive a personal business.

Learn Web Development

Many thanks to Nathan for sharing his journey with us. If you are interested in learning web development, you can register for our 5-Step Coding Challenge here. Or if you want to learn more about our training services, you can email partners@codeinstitute.net.

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