Retraining in Software/Web Development

Magpie10

TL;DR: Does anyone know of any grants available to retrain in software/web development, possibly for women or under-represented career changers in Bristol/the South West?

By way of background, I'm a 36-year old graphic designer who started out in print design about 15 years ago but have since managed to get a few digital projects under my belt. I've known that I've needed to retrain properly for years and incorporate web design / SEO / software development into my skillset to keep up with the growing demand for tech, however having been freelance for most of my career most of my profits have just gone into funding lean times or day-to-day living expenses. I know training expenses can be offset against income tax, however with most of the established courses costing upwards of £7K it's been impossible to stump up the cash upfront.

There are a tonne of brilliant, free online tutorials like Freecodecamp.org, Codecademy (although they now charge around £32/month for their pro resources) and a great 3-week intro course to Python, HTML, CSS and JS through Codenation. Although I've worked through a lot of these, I've recently been diagnosed with ADHD and find it difficult to commit to self-directed learning without external motivation, and would definitely benefit from a structured learning path - preferably with the 'carrot' of certification at the end. A couple of 12-week bootcamps look really promising - Nology in Bristol and Mayden Academy in Bath - but again the finance presents a major barrier.

I keep hearing about the skills gap in tech that UK businesses are crying out to fill (although apparently many are currently reluctant to hire at junior level or create apprenticeships due to the coronavirus pandemic), and I'm desperate to retrain to meet them halfway! I'm sure there must be masses of other people out there with similar career aspirations, given the number of redundancies...

Has anyone heard of any initiatives / grants?

(Sadly as I already have a foundation degree, I'm not eligible for the Government's National Retraining Scheme - although this looks great for someone else...)

AskAsk

I am not aware of financial help but can only comment that the IT industry is very competitive, full of very bright young people.  It would be difficult to get your foot through the door even if you have qualifications.  Do you have IT skills already and know that is the area you want to go into?

Magpie10

AskAsk said:

I am not aware of financial help but can only comment that the IT industry is very competitive, full of very bright young people.  It would be difficult to get your foot through the door even if you have qualifications.  Do you have IT skills already and know that is the area you want to go into?

Absolutely, agree that IT is super competitive - hence the ridiculously high salaries too...

I'm looking to get into front end web or app design - I've got plenty of graphic design experience (including eCommerce CMS content for a global ethical cosmetic brand), a Level 2 qualification achieved via the Codenation course (working knowledge of HTML, CSS, JS and Python), several professional digital graphic design accreditations in Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash and Dreamweaver (remember those? ) and a Foundation Degree in Animation (could be applied to SVG animations/micro interactions...) Technologies change so quickly though!

What's your background AskAsk - are you in IT at the moment? If so, how did you get your foot in the door?

AskAsk

You could try to get a job with an employer and get them to train you.  If you are lucky enough to find an employer that would take you on.  This way you wouldn't have to spend money doing a course.

I did work in IT as a systems analyst.  I moved into it from a consultancy background in finance.  I managed to get a job with a software house who were recruiting people with my specific knowledge in finance to train as they produced financial software.

Savvy_Sue

Magpie10 said:

I know training expenses can be offset against income tax, however with most of the established courses costing upwards of £7K it's been impossible to stump up the cash upfront.

I'm not sure that's always the case, is it?

Magpie10 said:

Although I've worked through a lot of these, I've recently been diagnosed with ADHD and find it difficult to commit to self-directed learning without external motivation, and would definitely benefit from a structured learning path - preferrably with the 'carrot' of certification at the end. 

Just a thought, and this may not provide the carrot you're after, but would it help to find a mentor or study buddy? DS1 had a similar problem (although not ADHD related) and from his second year at Uni he had a mentor paid for by his Disabled Student Allowance. 

Been scratching my head for other things, found 
Women’s Tech Hub ~ Bristol: https://www.wthub.org/ and 
Women in Tech: https://www.womenintech.co.uk/

Magpie10

AskAsk said:

You could try to get a job with an employer and get them to train you.  If you are lucky enough to find an employer that would take you on.  This way you wouldn't have to spend money doing a course.

I did work in IT as a systems analyst.  I moved into it from a consultancy background in finance.  I managed to get a job with a software house who were recruiting people with my specific knowledge in finance to train as they produced financial software.

FinTech also sounds like a booming business, though as you say it takes a specific set of skills/knowledge... What made you leave the systems analyst role, if I may be nosey? Good to have an idea of potential challenges in IT and how to overcome them...

Yes I've been keeping my eyes open for an apprenticeship with an employer as it sounds like a minimum amount of coding knowledge is required for even junior dev jobs - hopefully apprentice recruitment activity will start to pick up again soon.

Magpie10

Savvy_Sue said:

Magpie10 said:

I know training expenses can be offset against income tax, however with most of the established courses costing upwards of £7K it's been impossible to stump up the cash upfront.

I'm not sure that's always the case, is it?

Magpie10 said:

Although I've worked through a lot of these, I've recently been diagnosed with ADHD and find it difficult to commit to self-directed learning without external motivation, and would definitely benefit from a structured learning path - preferrably with the 'carrot' of certification at the end. 

Just a thought, and this may not provide the carrot you're after, but would it help to find a mentor or study buddy? DS1 had a similar problem (although not ADHD related) and from his second year at Uni he had a mentor paid for by his Disabled Student Allowance. 

Been scratching my head for other things, found 
Women’s Tech Hub ~ Bristol: https://www.wthub.org/ and 
Women in Tech: https://www.womenintech.co.uk/

Thanks a tonne Savvy_Sue, appreciate the research!

True, there are Udemy/Skillshare courses that don't cost the earth, but anything with a live community element either in person or via Zoom calls seems to be expensive... From attending one of their taster days, Nology appear to foster a great sense of shared purpose in realtime and get people up to speed in 'only' 12 weeks (as opposed to years - which these self-directed courses might take me...!): https://nology.io/12-week-software-developer-course/

Ah yes, I've been looking for a mentor! Managed to find one in the form of the former Head of UX at BT, but sadly his new job didn't allow for much time to check in... How did your DS1 find his mentor? I've tried through Meet A Mentor, but wasn't aware that one could be paid for. I've been given an Access to Work grant, though might just be able to be put towards ADHD coaching sessions.

Women's Tech Hub are great - I go to a few of their virtual Meetups from time to time (when I remember...!!) Just had a look at Women in Tech and discovered a discounted course provided by Learning People - still £4500ish from past student reviews... Still, thanks a tonne for the new lead!

Sandtree

What attracts you to coding explicitly rather than say UI design or CX which would feel a more natural transition in what you've been doing -v- learning javascript?

Magpie10

Sandtree said:

What attracts you to coding explicitly rather than say UI design or CX which would feel a more natural transition in what you've been doing -v- learning javascript?

Valid point - it's just down to industry demand... I rarely see a job ad these days for a visual/digital/graphic designer without the recruiter stipulating the need for HTML, CSS and JavaScript; in any case it helps to have a full stack skillset or at least to have a basic understanding of the build/dev process. More value also seems to be placed on coding skills too as apparently anyone can 'make pretty pictures'... (though I'd argue that this misses the point of using UX/CX/UCD to make digital products people can actually use, and want to!)

What's your background Sandtree, if you don't mind me asking? If looking at UX/UI design specifically, where would you focus your learning? I've used Adobe XD to design a few basic UI prototypes, though Figma, Sketch and InVision still seem to be a thing according to designers/recruiters I've spoken to.

AskAsk

Magpie10 said:

AskAsk said:

You could try to get a job with an employer and get them to train you.  If you are lucky enough to find an employer that would take you on.  This way you wouldn't have to spend money doing a course.

I did work in IT as a systems analyst.  I moved into it from a consultancy background in finance.  I managed to get a job with a software house who were recruiting people with my specific knowledge in finance to train as they produced financial software.

FinTech also sounds like a booming business, though as you say it takes a specific set of skills/knowledge... What made you leave the systems analyst role, if I may be nosey? Good to have an idea of potential challenges in IT and how to overcome them...

Yes I've been keeping my eyes open for an apprenticeship with an employer as it sounds like a minimum amount of coding knowledge is required for even junior dev jobs - hopefully apprentice recruitment activity will start to pick up again soon.

i haven't left.  i am on a career break.  it is an enjoyable job but i find it very stressful and a lot of time, i feel i am in way over my head so that in itself causes stress.  we have very tight deadlines for projects and if things do not go to plan during the project, we have to put in extra hours to keep the project on track for delivery.  these extra hours are not always payable.   in my line of work, there is often a daily penalty that the employer has to pay for late delivery of projects so there is little leeway for delay.

you could try speaking to recuitment agents and ask them if they know of any position with an employer where your skills would be useful to the employer in exchange for them training you on the technical side.  i got my job through a recruitment agent rather than through an apprenticeship.

Marcon

Magpie10 said:

 I know training expenses can be offset against income tax, however with most of the established courses costing upwards of £7K it's been impossible to stump up the cash upfront.

Only where these are essential for the business you are running, which cuts out retraining costs.