Engineer Spotlight: Iqra Finiin

We spoke to Iqra, currently placed at a global bank, about her extraordinary journey with Digital Futures having completed our data analytics training and starting her first role in tech.

Tell me a bit about your background – what was going on before you came to Digital Futures?

I’m grew up in Highbury, in North London, and I went to primary and secondary school locally. When I finished school, I went to Warwick and studied chemistry. My first 3 years of university were pandemic years, which made it really tough. I chose to do a Master’s which finally gave me a proper university experience but I struggled knowing what I wanted to do next. The first thing I knew clearly was that I didn’t want to have a career in chemistry!

Once you realised chemistry wasn’t for you, when did data and technology come into the picture?

I actually went to speak to a careers adviser at my university and he helped me to pinpoint what I did like about my degree, which was the analytical side. I started applying for lots of analyst-type jobs – I received a lot of rejections.

But, a lot of the analyst roles I was looking at were related to data, so I started to look into it a bit more and those job descriptions were really speaking to me. There were a lot of things in them like “no two days will be the same”, “fast-paced”, “dynamic” – that was exactly what I wanted, especially after doing most of my degree during the pandemic. I wanted to challenge myself and push myself.

Did you feel that you were on the back foot when applying for tech roles?

My lack of experience was a massive barrier. In hindsight, I really needed to do the Digital Futures Academy. I needed the training, from technical to professional skills. If I’d gone straight into a corporate job I would have found it so difficult.

What do you remember about when you discovered Digital Futures?

I had done a bit of coding at uni and I knew the basics of Python so I had a bit of knowledge under my belt. When I applied to Digital Futures, they actually provided you with Python training to help you complete the assessment. When I was doing that training, it all really made sense to me. Even though there was time pressure when it came to doing the assessment, I was loving it. I didn’t actually think that I’d get a place at Digital Futures, but the application process helped me see that I did really want that role in tech.

You did get that place! What was the Academy experience like for you?

The first two weeks were so daunting – it was very fast paced and tough to keep up. But, everyone was so friendly. I wouldn’t have got through it without Alex (Data Science Instructor) and all my peers on the course – it was such a safe space to ask questions. I felt comfortable making mistakes and failing. One of the biggest things I learned was being able to adapt, to ask questions and to pinpoint what I don’t understand so that I can get up to speed.

And you’re now placed at a global bank – what kind of role are you in?

I’m a Solution Platform Architect in the ESG team. My team is essentially responsible for building all the platform architecture that all the different pods need. I help to present different ideas and capture the challenges that all the pods are facing.

What do you like best about your placement?

The office – I love going in! I also love how dynamic and fast-paced my role is; I always have several things to work on. It was exactly what I was looking for. The more I’m setting up calls, the more people I meet or send messages to, the more people I will eventually be able to reach out to when I have questions, which is amazing. Whenever I tell someone I’m from Digital Futures, they always tell me they’ve met so many other Digital Futures engineers – it’s great to have so many of us here. I work a lot with my Digital Futures colleagues who are all really supportive and I can really lean on them for help and reassurance.  

What is like being part of such a massive organisation?

It does feel huge, but at the same time I don’t even have a concept of how big it is! ESG really does affect the whole bank, so working in this area you can see how all the teams are linked.

On the other side, being part of Digital Futures is amazing – on my first day I met core members of the Digital Futures engineering team placed here, so I immediately had people that I could speak to. I was so nervous on my first day, but everyone is so welcoming, offering to have 1-to-1s or answer my questions, which really helped calm my nerves. I really feel part of the Digital Futures community.

What has the support been like on your Digital Futures journey?

There is amazing support at every stage of the process. Throughout the Academy, I received so much support, I really could reach out to anyone. In the first couple of weeks, I was really struggling and Alex booked in 1-to-1s with me every Friday to help me through it. Post-Academy, Blair and Faye gave me so much help with my client interview and the team set up a call for me with one of the engineers already on site to give me more background information, so I went into my interview really well prepared.

Now that I’m on client site, Zakiyyah, my Engagement Manager, is always there to answer my questions. I love her advice – she’s always encouraging me to keep asking questions and to keep being bold.