Written by: on November 12, 2018
Meet Kirsty Devlin one of our Lead Tutors who, with the help of our volunteer Stephanie Bell, is inspiring our #InnovateHers at The Co-Op Academy Manchester.
Kirsty is a passionate technologist, self-taught developer, and a vocal advocate for increasing socioeconomic and BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) representation in tech.
Being inquisitive, asking questions, saying “Sure, I can do that!” and then finding a way to learn the skills necessary for the job. Additionally, learning how to build and develop an influential network has helped open doors for me.
Decision-making skills, soft skills, people skills, leadership skills, diplomacy.
This changes based on my role, currently I am acting as Programme Director of a new social enterprise providing digital and coding skills for adults and individuals from low-income households. The organisation is set to launch in the next few weeks.
My 9-5 day is currently non-technical. It involves updating the existing cashflow, creating the business plan, the legal documentation, working alongside influential board members and stakeholders that can help shape and push the not for profit organisation forward.
In the evenings I build on my existing coding knowledge and work on projects like WomenWhoKeynote for fun.
Asking others who have done this before for insight, this will help you immensely.
There will be people out there that have been there before and walked in your shoes, so learning from their mistakes will save you time, money, energy and usually blood, sweat, and tears. Connect with people who you admire and respect and see if you could grab 10 minutes of their time for a chat. They may even turn into your mentor!
I love InnovateHer and what it represents. This agenda of encouraging more girls into technology is important to me and enriches my life. Giving back is so rewarding and seeing the young people InnovateHer work with grow and develop in confidence week by week makes everything so worthwhile!
April 22, 2024 - Lauren