After graduating from the Digital Futures Academy, Frank was placed with one of our clients as a business analyst. We sat down with Frank to discuss why he chose to pursue a career change and enter the tech industry with Digital Futures.
Tell me a bit about your background – what were you doing before Digital Futures?
It’s quite a long story! I’m originally from Uganda, where I was born and raised. I came here as a young man after I finished my first degree and I was quite determined to become an investment banker. My first job was in retail banking which I did for 10 months before I convinced my Mum to let me do an MBA. I did that Master’s with the intention of getting into investment banking or into business. Investment banking didn’t happen for me for a number of reasons – I didn’t go to a Russell Group university and the financial crisis hit when I graduated so it was really hard to break in to that.
I joined a company called Arcus FM, where I worked as a planning and dispatch operative, where I was working directly with mechanical engineers for about a year. I then decided to pivot into e-commerce – I’d always flirted with getting into business and my experience working with supermarkets in my role at Arcus led me to e-commerce. I taught myself some really basic front-end and back-end website management and I developed a client list in the UK and Uganda. That was going well for a while but the pandemic really forced me to re-think as my income was significantly affected. I needed to think in a more long-term way for my career – that led me to data.
You started your tech journey with a bit of front-end and back-end development – why did you go for data?
I didn’t feel that my coding skills were at a level they should have been to pursue software development so I went down the data route. I quickly realised that in data you also can’t escape the coding side of things! I did a government data bootcamp to get myself started from a skills perspective.
Outside of that, coming from a business background, I’d always worked with some kind of data. My e-commerce business made me realise that data was everywhere. I also met someone on an evening out who was telling me about his job as a data analyst – that was the first time I’d heard about data analytics as an actual job so I did more research. The courses and the bootcamp I did helped me to understand more about how data underpins our lives. That piqued my interest into wanting consolidate that into a career.
What was the experience like looking for a job?
I had done a lot of job searching before I found Digital Futures. When you can’t demonstrate your skills, it’s really hard to find an opportunity. I was applying to lots of things but it was really difficult. Even with my bootcamp, the course wasn’t detailed enough for me to feel confident that I would land a role.
Was a lack of experience the main challenge? Were there any other barriers?
To be honest, my last name can be a factor. One of my friends, who also has an African surname, changed her last name when she finished university to something a bit more “English-sounding”. She applied for a job with both names – the English name got her the job, not the African one. It did feel like that was a factor that stood in my way. I try not to dwell on that too much though or let it motivate me or frustrate me!
What brought you to Digital Futures?
I found out about Digital Futures from the bootcamp I did. When I read about it, it felt like there was a good chance that Digital Futures would live up to their promises. When I did my interview, my interviewers were really up front and honest and that was really powerful.
How was the Academy?
Intense! I’ll be honest, I did still struggle with a lot of the coding. But, my strengths were identified by the team and when it came to placements I was put forward for a Business Analyst role which was better suited to my skillset. Starting this role has really helped me realise that I fit better in more of stakeholder facing role. The team at Digital Futures knew my strengths and they got me to the right place. The whole experience has been amazing for my professional skills; I’ve been able to narrow down my waffling!
What can you tell me about your role on client site?
I’m a BA at an insurance company and am part of a change management programme. At a high level, I deal with different stakeholders, getting information from them, analysing it, finding gaps and using it to simplify business processes. I liaise between technical and non-technical stakeholders.
What do you like the most about your placement?
My client is in the finance industry – it’s a dream come true for me to return to finance. The culture here is amazing – people here have a selfless attitude. Everyone is forthcoming, helpful and collaborative.
How has Digital Futures supported you?
I have regular calls with my Engagement Manager – anytime I have something to talk about or ask, she’s always available. On the knowledge front, Digital Futures has been excellent. If I need any resources to help me with my job, those are made available to me. That’s been really important in helping me gain confidence as a BA.