What led to you becoming a Hippo?
Before I joined Hippo, I had never worked for a tech company. My career changed from being a children's, youth and families worker in churches and charities to being a developer with the help of the School of Code.
I'd always been interested in how websites and apps worked but had never found a way until I heard about the School of Code. Hippo was hiring from our cohort when I finished, and I knew it would be a good fit. Looking back, I'm so thankful I got to work at Hippo, as it's allowed me to learn so much. I also know I'm not the only one who has career changed.
What does your day-to-day involve?
There is no 'stereotypical' day-to-day for me, as it all depends on what projects I'm on. Usually, it consists of a morning stand-up as a whole team and then a tech stand-up later on. It's then usually meetings and looking into where the data is stored and how to use it for the task at hand.
But even when I'm on projects, there are always ways to get involved with other things and stay connected with other hippos.
What are you most proud of since working here?
The proudest thing I've done so far at Hippo was sending my first project site live for BETA. It was a really amazing moment knowing that anyone could search and find the page I had just created. But outside of just project things, I've also loved being able to support KidzKlub Leeds, one of the charities we support, with their work to digitalise their records.
It's been a very different project, and I've loved building relationships with those who work there and seeing the progress over the past year.
What do you like best about Hippo?
The main reason I like Hippo is that it's so different. Although we are all one company, we are often on different projects, so you don't always work with the same people. It means we get to work with so many different people and learn from one another.
I'm always shocked at how much I've learnt in my 18 months here so far and how a part of the team I feel.
And finally, what's your favourite way to eat a potato?
There are so many different good ways to eat a potato, but I think I'd have to go with hash browns when they are crispy yet soft and fluffy in the middle. I could eat a whole plateful for breakfast every day.
