What I do

I work on the mobile team, which is split into iOS and Android developers. We work in two-week blocks on different tickets – solving bugs, making a new section on the app or updating existing content or tools.

Esther at her desk working as a Software Developer

Hear more about Esther's role by watching the video below...

How I became a technician

During the first COVID lockdown, while I was studying at Warwick University, although I wasn’t specifically on a computer science-based course, I completed a two-week web development programme with Code First Girls, and that sparked my interest in coding. I still didn’t think it would be a career path, but one of the teachers thought I had a natural talent for it and suggested I look at the apprenticeship opportunities available through Makers.

I applied for an apprenticeship for Compare the Market, and to my surprise, I was successful. It started with a three-month boot camp covering a range of programming languages and techniques. After the boot camp, I started in the mobile team as an Android developer and here I am a year later. Although I am employed full-time, Compare the Market makes sure I have enough time to do my apprenticeship work and exams.

A typical day in my working life

I have a daily morning 9.00 am stand-up meeting, so I can touch base with my team before I work on tickets, which might involve bug fixes, making a new screen on an app, or an app update until lunchtime.

After lunch, I’ll either continue working on tickets or I might complete a code review where I check another engineer's work.

What I'm most proud of

I won the Top 20 Women in Software Power List Award 2021 – that was definitely the highlight! Someone I work with nominated me for the award, but I missed the email as it went to ‘junk’. So, when I received the email telling me I had won, it was a big shock, and for a while, I didn’t know what I had won! We went to the Financial Times for the Awards Ceremony, where I was presented with a certificate – it was a lovely occasion.

What I love most about my job

As I enjoy coding, I love the satisfaction at the end when you see an app you have worked on working or a piece of work actually in production. There are people across the UK using pages I have created on the Compare the Market app by myself, and that’s really fulfilling to know.

Find out more about this role

Discover what qualifications you’ll need, how much you can earn, and what the next steps are.

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