From a Single School Computer to Full-Time Developer: My Journey into Tech

The traditional path — university, degree, corporate job — isn’t the only way into tech. My journey proves that curiosity, grit, and the right guidance can open doors, no matter where you start.

The Spark That Started It All

At primary school, there was one ancient computer — the classroom’s pride and joy. My teacher, Mr Rose, let me tinker with it during lunch breaks, spotting my knack for asking “why” and “how.” Those moments sparked a passion for coding that’s stayed with me ever since.

Learning to Code the Hard Way

At home, the family PC was my playground. While my mates played games, I wrestled with HTML, CSS, and later PHP. No YouTube tutorials or Stack Overflow back then — just dusty books and endless trial and error. Every small project felt like a win.

Mentors Who Shaped Me

At high school, my IT teachers saw potential despite my rebellious streak (yes, I crashed the school firewall a couple of times). They taught me advanced coding and guided me to build PHP games instead of shutting me down.

My college’s Computing & ICT course just didn’t click — I dropped out after a month, craving hands-on work over stuffy classroom lessons that simply didn’t match my learning style. So, I jumped into building real websites.

Then I met Lee Boothroyd, a mentor who changed everything. He drilled into me the importance of clean code, user-focused design, and client satisfaction. His projects showed me I could turn this into a career.

ADHD: My Unexpected Superpower

ADHD feels like juggling 50 open browser tabs whilst blasting music through my AirPods. But it’s been my edge. It fuels hyperfocus on tricky problems, rapid idea connections, and a sponge-like ability to learn. It’s made me a sharper, faster developer.

My Biggest Mistake (and Lesson)

At 18, I deleted a live client website. No backup. Pure panic. I rebuilt it overnight from design files and got it back online before the client noticed. Brutal, but defining.

Sorry Lee, I never told you this.

Lessons learnt?

• Always back up your work.
• Coffee and energy drinks are a coder’s best mate. 

Milestones That Matter

Winning multiple Site of the Day awards on Awwwards.com was a career highlight, blending design flair with solid code to craft user-friendly websites. But mentoring students has been even more rewarding.

I once pulled aside a peer - who happened to be a university tutor for teaching outdated coding practices that left students like Paul Roe unprepared for real-world work. That bold moment sparked change, and helping Paul master the essentials at the time — HTML, CSS, jQuery, and a bit of JavaScript — was a privilege.

Mentoring others — whether guiding graduates to their first tech jobs, helping work peers, supporting family and friends, or even teaching my son — keeps me grounded and reminds me how curiosity and guidance shaped my path.

Advice to My Younger Self

To my 13-year-old self, hunched over that clunky PC:

“Don’t hack the firewall — we got into a lot of trouble, even if it did work out in the end. Mum wasn’t happy.”

What’s Next?

Right now, I’m diving deeper into modern frameworks, mobile app development, and UX-focused projects. I want to build experiences — not just websites. Long term, I want to lead a team, mentor more developers, and prove that passion beats a degree or perfect CV.

Final Word

Your path doesn’t need to be conventional to be successful. Tech thrives on problem-solvers who keep learning.

What’s your story? Have you taken a different route into tech, or faced unexpected challenges along the way? I’d love to hear about it — feel free to share in the comments or send me a message. Let’s keep the conversation going.

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