Theodora Richards, Edinburgh University Student

I attended the Kozi coding course in the summer of 2020 and had an excellent time! I had done a bit of coding before I arrived, mainly from courses in my degree, but I was still very shaky on the basics of it all. I learnt so much in just 5 days! I consolidated all of the foundations and learnt so much more. I was so pleased with what I accomplished and proud of how much I learnt in such a short space of time.

There were no stupid questions which made it so much easier to learn and not be at all embarrassed about the bits I didn’t understand.

I loved doing yoga in the mornings, it made it feel like much more than just a coding course! We had a barbeque, played tennis and had home cooked meals every night. The suppers and lunches were a great opportunity to ask questions about not just coding but what it might be like to work in that industry.

Lucy was incredibly helpful and seeing her passion for what she does and seeing that you don’t have to have done a computing degree to work in coding – especially as a woman – was amazing. So much so that after doing my course, I got have since been in touch about internship opportunities.

The company that Lucy put me in touch with to apply for a role, were so helpful and very encouraging and enthusiastic, as was Lucy who was free whenever I had more questions to ask! I had to go through a couple of stages before I was successful but what I learnt at Kozi was useful in helping me decide whether to apply and when it got to the interview stage. The internship is on a slightly different area, but during my interviews I felt comfortable talking about UX design and talking through the projects I had designed on my course. Had I not been on the course, I would not have heard about the opportunities available, or applied, but also I wouldn’t have had anything to talk about or the confidence to know what I was talking about. I was able to explain what I had designed, how I had done it and the bits I enjoyed most about it and why. It allowed me to have an idea of what I might want to go into in the future.

I am so glad I did the course because I learnt so much in the 5 days at Kozi. There wasn’t a stupid question to ask and I realised that once you feel confident in how to do something, you end up enjoying it more! Before I did not know what I wanted to do after University, now I have found something I enjoy and I am good at! I have an internship and a direction in which to head once I finish my degree! I would highly recommend the course to anyone who is remotely interested in how coding works and wants to spend a wonderful 5 days learning, having fun and meeting excellent people.