As career changes go, Kay Vose’s switch takes some beating.
She’s a software engineer at Manchester-based software development and data analytics expert Naimuri, which was acquired in 2020 by Qinetiq for £25m.
However, in a former life, she trained croupiers at a Manchester casino. She urged other people to consider a new career in technology.
Explaining her own remarkable story she recounts: “I was made redundant just before Christmas a few years back and decided to switch to something more challenging, although I was unsure of what to do.
“I had enough money to pay for a short course and just about not work for six months so I decided to retrain. After asking around, it was suggested that as I like puzzles, I may enjoy coding.
“They also suggested a highly rated bootcamp run by a training provider called Northcoders that could be completed in three months.
“It was incredibly tough as I had never coded before. It was an intense 9-5 course, five days a week. I had to contend with switching from nights to days, doing something completely alien, and learning something complex for the first time in over 10 years.
“However, the person that recommended both the course and tech in general was right. Though hard, I wouldn’t change my intro into tech for the world as it was worth every inch of stress, anxiety and self doubt.
“I completed it in three months and two weeks after that I started my first job in tech. I have never looked back.”
Salaries vary but, depending on experience, software engineers can expect to earn around £65,000.
Vose says: “I enjoy coming into work every day, trying out new problems and actually having a positive impact on the world around me.
“I focus on making the tech we build accessible and usable for everyone.
“Data is incredibly powerful and useful. I like to focus on visualisation so that it can be understood and accessed in a human way. It is important to me that everyone should be able to use the tech we provide.”
She says she has taken some lessons from her life in casinos into her tech career.
“The soft skills like communication, conflict management and customer-focused attitude translated really well,” says Vose.
She joined Naimuri in 2021 and said it’s been one of the best decisions she’s ever made.
“They provide the freedom to be myself and explore what I am interested in,” she said. “The work we do matches my ethics and I feel like I am actually having a positive impact. It feels like a tech company run by actual techs.”
Vose has this advice for anyone considering a career in tech.
“Look at bootcamps,” she says. “They’ll save you a lot of money compared to a degree, are a lot faster, and allow you to jump right in. Tech covers such a wide variety of areas, there is something for everyone, so it’s worth experimenting. Don’t be put off if you try something and don’t like it, try something else.”
Ian Makin, co-founder of Naimuri, adds: “Kay joined Naimuri and just instantly took to the culture and thrived – she is without doubt a true ambassador of Naimuri and the definition of what good looks like!”