I have been a software engineer at Wise, a Solihull-based startup tech company, for two years now - but prior to this I had no coding experience at all.
My background is in music and, after completing my undergraduate degree in jazz at a music conservatoire, I spent over a decade working as a professional saxophonist, both teaching and performing.
Growing up with such a passion for music, I'd never considered a career in anything else until a few years ago. At the time, I was looking for a new challenge to get stuck into and l heard about the School of Code in Birmingham.
This is a free coding bootcamp designed to get more and different types of people into tech and it takes you from having no experience to a ready-to-work programmer in 12 weeks. As soon as I heard about it, my interest was piqued and, when the pandemic hit, I decided to give it a go.
After four months of intense studying, I'd learned more about coding than I ever thought I could, secured a job as a software engineer and any misconceptions I'd had about the tech industry were long gone. One of my concerns entering the world of tech, which I know many women share, was the gender gap.
With fewer than 27 per cent of tech-related jobs being held by females, there is clearly still a long way to go in terms of representation. However, my fears of being the only woman, or the only person from a non-tech background, were quickly diminished when I joined the bootcamp.
We were such a diverse group of people, of different ages, genders, race and backgrounds. There were other musicians like myself as well as artists, teachers, scientists and personal trainers. It was a nice surprise and made me excited for the future of the industry.
Now, two years into my career, I've had the opportunity to meet and work alongside a number of individuals like myself - other women and career changers who are helping to alter the landscape of tech and break the stereotypes that many still have of the industry.
Last year, I was lucky enough to be part of Wise's ‘Women in Tech' panel at Birmingham Tech Week. Sharing my story, and hearing the advice from the other women around me, was an incredible feeling.
It's amazing to see more female role models emerging within the industry and exciting to be paving the way for future generations of women in STEM. Another concern I had when considering a career as a software engineer was with the work itself.
As a creative person and someone not used to sitting at a desk all day, I wasn't sure whether I'd take to coding and find it stimulating and enjoyable. It turns out, I love it.
I find it really satisfying writing code which solves real world problems and, as I've embarked on my journey into programming, I've found it to be very creative. It's been surprising how many skills that I spent years refining as a musician are useful to me as a programmer - things such as language learning, composition, pattern matching and attention to detail.
I've learnt there's so much thought, problem solving and creativity needed to produce a piece of software which flows and works beautifully - the musician in me likens it to composing a piece of music. And it has not just been transferable technical skills that have helped me to transition to a career in tech - soft skills have been a huge part of it too.
Communicating, listening, presenting - these are all key elements of the job. Being able to work together as a team and bounce ideas around is a vital part of the role as we are all working closely together to achieve the same end goal.
And that brings me on to another misconception, that being a programmer is a lonely and isolated career. Less so now perhaps but certainly, when I was growing up, programmers were often stereotyped as people who worked alone.
But, from my experience of working in tech, I have found the opposite to be true. It is all about teamwork, communication and collaboration. In fact, half the reason I joined Wise was because of its team emphasis.
From regular socials, to team planning sessions and lunches out, the whole culture is centred on supporting and championing each other. I'm passionate about getting more and different types of people into tech as I believe everyone should have access to the jobs and opportunities the tech sector offers and also because diversity in the industry is key to its success and survival.
Tech teams need to be representative of the people they are creating software for. For example, if we have no women working in tech, very quickly any technology created to appeal to women will fail to do so.
You cannot make a product for an audience without the input of the desired audience. It should be obvious but the more diverse your workforce is, the more creative input and diversity of thought and ideas you will have which ultimately leads to better software which helps more people.
While we obviously still have a long way to go before we see equal representation in the tech industry, it's encouraging that the landscape of tech is changing. It's clear that diversity is the way forward if we want to stay relevant and representative of the wider population.
The awareness is there and we can see who is actively advocating for wider representation but we still need more action across the board, from all angles.
Change, as always, starts at the top with companies hiring a more diverse workforce but we also need to grow interest and change stereotypes about STEM subjects from the grassroots levels in schools and colleges so young people are aware of all the amazing opportunities available to them if they choose to pursue a career in STEM.
Katie Hawcutt is a software engineer with Solihull-based tech firm Wise
