Why I Took on a Tech Career in Singapore

As an equal opportunities employer, we’re always eager to push our trainees and consultants to reach their highest abilities, no matter what limits they believe they have. Over the years, we have seen a steady incline in the number of women joining the technology industry, but we want to see more woman take on roles which can be associated with specific genders. Cindy Lam is based in Singapore and joined FDM’s technical pathway. She shared her experience of being a woman in tech and how you can find out if a career in development is for you.

I’ve always been fascinated by web page design and online gaming, so it’s no surprise that I was drawn into the world of software development. From a young age, I was interested in how a computer screen functioned and how someone in the tech industry could be equipped with the power to create something that is of value to others. There is a misconception that you need to be clued up on the ins and outs of coding before venturing into a career within the software development industry, but before joining FDM, I only had the basic design principles and a passion for programming.

FDM was first introduced to me by someone at university who went on to become an FDM Consultant. I was intrigued by what FDM could do for me as an inexperienced graduate with an interest in IT. I saw this as a great opportunity to develop my skills and a way to get into the tech industry. I surprised myself with how quickly I was able to pick up new concepts in training. I struggled a little with object-oriented programming, but the trainers and my classmates were able to help me through it. The training provided me with a good foundation as it touched on various aspects of programming including data querying, command line, as well as front and back end development.

After completing my training, I started my placement at a high-profile bank in Singapore. I was able to put the skills I had learnt at FDM into practice in my new role and learn from my colleagues in my team. In my role, I touch on a little bit of everything, from front end to the back end of software development. My team designs and develops websites which allow users to execute many different options from a range of systems all on one common platform, as opposed to the previous workflow where they had to go to different systems separately for their needs. I am required to understand user requirements, liaise with other downstream systems and then develop features in our system accordingly.

An average day for me usually starts with daily stand-ups. These are short meetings to keep track of everyone’s progress and to ensure that there are no hurdles blocking developers from doing their work. My day can vary from having meetings about user requirements or system architecture, to information gathering calls with other teams, to coding features into our systems. I appreciate how much I am able to learn from the Senior Developers in my team who have years of experience and knowledge in tackling different kinds of problems that we face. I love the feeling of accomplishment when I am able to get a feature out, completing it from start to end.

If Software Development sounds like an avenue you’d like to go down, I would first suggest having a go at online programming tutorials to see if you can understand the basics of programming and most importantly, that you enjoy it. As long as you are proactive and willing to learn, there is no reason at all to worry about having no prior experience in Software Development.

FDM recruits Software Developers from all backgrounds, all year round. See how we can help launch your career in technology today.