How Did I Get Here?

My journey into tech has been anything but straightforward. If you asked me at 18 where I’d be now, I wouldn’t have believed you. Academically, I wouldn’t call myself the most educated person in the room—my spelling and grammar still aren’t great to this day. School was a resounding failure for me; I left with little to no qualifications, then spent two years at college trying to fix that. But between skipping lessons and spending too much time at the pub, I eventually gave up and got a job.

I had no clear career path in mind, so I bounced around a few jobs, settling into one that felt easy to manage—until I was suddenly made redundant. That was my wake-up call. I needed to do something different, and based on earning potential, I decided tech was the future.

For weeks, I spent every evening and weekend teaching myself how to code. I started with one of those awful “Teach Yourself” books, struggling through the basics. I played around with Microsoft FrontPage in college, but this was the first time I truly tried to understand how code worked. I quit multiple times, but I always came back to it, knowing it could change my life.

Eventually, I felt confident enough to apply for jobs and landed my first role as a junior .NET developer at a small eCommerce agency. I stayed for 18 months before moving to a much larger marketing software company. The first six months were brutal—my boss sat me down and made it clear that if I didn’t level up, I’d be out. That ultimatum forced me to push through, spending long nights practicing, and eventually, I got to the point where I was a “proper” developer.

I stayed for four years, gradually shifting from backend development to frontend because I found it more satisfying to see the finished product of what I was building. That curiosity led me into UX—I wanted to understand not just how to build things but why certain decisions were made. I didn’t want to waste time building something nobody would use.

The Shift to UX

My next move was into financial services, which was fun socially but a complete disaster as a company. I worked on some interesting projects but stayed far too long—though in hindsight, the timing made sense. My son was born, and the job was easy. The money was okay, I had stability, and I’d just bought my first home with his mum.

Then, three months later, everything changed. My relationship ended, and I suddenly found myself navigating life as a single parent. I felt stuck—bored with work, going through the motions, and living in a house far too big for just me and my son. After six months of feeling like I was treading water, I decided it was time for a change.

I moved to a smaller, more tech-focused company and took on my first official UX role as Head of User Experience. The company knew they needed UX but had no clue what it actually was. Over time, I built out the team, defined processes, and got the job done. That’s when I had a realization: I’d spent years operating as a product manager without the title. My previous company had been such a mess that I’d naturally taken on responsibilities outside my role.

In most companies, UX and Product need to work closely together—when they don’t, everything falls apart. As I progressed into leadership, I spent less time designing and more time influencing the vision and value of the product. The transition to Product felt natural, and over time, I realized I enjoyed it more.

Becoming a Product Leader

After three years (which seems to be my career cycle), I was ready for another challenge. I moved back into financial services, originally hired to build out a design team, but after three months, I was asked to take ownership of a product domain. That domain kept growing until I had to make a decision—Product or UX. My boss told me the role had become too big for one person, and I had to choose.

I went with Product. It had a higher career ceiling, better earning potential, and I was getting frustrated with UX’s lack of maturity in the organization.

Fast forward to today, and my role has continued to expand. I now lead a product function with over 30 PMs and an annual CAPEX budget of over $13M. I earn a solid salary—maybe not “London tech elite” levels, but far beyond what 18-year-old me ever imagined.

Lessons From the Journey

What got me here? Hard work, determination, and a lot of imposter syndrome. I’ve had moments where I felt completely out of my depth, but I’ve always pushed through. I was recognized with an award in 2024 for Outstanding Contributor in a business unit of over 350 people—something I never would have thought possible when I started.

I still don’t have a long-term career plan. People often ask me what my goal is, but honestly, I’ve already exceeded where I thought I’d get. My approach has always been to work hard, take opportunities as they come, and see where it leads.

Now, my biggest motivator is my family. My 3-year-old daughter has decided she wants a horse, so I’d better keep earning.

If there’s one takeaway from my journey, it’s this: hard work and perseverance will always beat qualifications. If you have a goal, you can get there—just don’t give up. Challenges will come, but push through. You can achieve more than you think.