“The pandemic highlighted to me that life is too short – so do something you enjoy.”

Before retraining with Xander, Nida worked for the NHS in Radiography. She has always had a passion for gaming and coding, and when the pandemic placed a major strain on the NHS, she decided life was too short and it was time for a change.

“Growing up in London she lived in a very inclusive and multicultural area. In school she always had a fascination with science and technology. She wanted to do something that combined both because she always wanted to do a career that helped people and made a difference to people’s lives. That’s why she chose Radiography.

Then the pandemic hit and she decided to move on from that to focus more on technology and pursue a career in software engineering. 

“The moment that gave me the push I needed was when I was working for the NHS during the pandemic. I really enjoyed my time there. It helped me to develop as a person, but I also learnt life is very short and if you want to do something then you should do it and not live to regret missed opportunities in the future.

“That was what gave me the confidence to move career. I used to find myself researching coding, reading news about tech innovation. And I just thought, “‘Why am I not doing this?” And I just thought I should just go for it.

After completing a course with Codefirst Girls, Nida found Xander, where she retrained in our academy as a Software Engineer. She was also part of the team that supported our social enterprise partner 6% & Rising during her training and she has gone on to work for a world-leading consultancy.

“One thing that I really liked about Xander is they really encourage people that are considering changing careers to apply, which I haven’t encountered before. There were times where I had applied to a company that advertised towards people who wanted to career switch and they would take me to the last stage of the application process and then say that I do not have enough career experience.”

“One thing I noticed even from my first interaction with Xander Talent was their emphasis on diversity and inclusion. It showed me Xander really believes in social change and pushing towards making positive changes. The main thing is that I don't feel like I am an outsider. There is a great working environment, and everyone is super supportive.”

“I loved the well-being workshops we had with Rupert from Growing Happy, and the diversity and inclusion sessions run by Chickenshed. They really help you evaluate your own biases towards other people as well.”