I was very close to quitting development as a career and going into something different before I began at Rocketmakers. My previous experience in the industry was just of hostile, corporate environments. It’s completely different at Rocketmakers. It’s a community, even a family. I actually care about the people I work with and I think they really care about me.

I applied because I thought I’d like the benefits, but as soon as I sat down for an interview with Richard and Keith I knew this was really different sort of place. It almost didn’t feel like an interview. They just wanted to know if I was a good fit for Rocketmakers, not trip me up or find my weaknesses.

As a single mum Rocketmakers gives me lots of support to be a mother as well as work. In a lot of places you have to fit your life around your work, while Rocketmakers makes sure I have the freedom to spend time with my kids. Being a single parent is not seen as a complication the way a lot of employers might see it. And my children are free to come and visit the office anytime and learn about the technology we’re working on. They’re treated like part of the Rocketmakers family.

When I was looking for a new job last year I only applied to Rocketmakers. I got the impression it was full of talented software engineers doing amazing things, and they really wanted to do good in the community. You never really know if a company is as good as you’d hoped until you get there, but I know now I definitely made the right decision. I really enjoy the fact that there is a very supportive working environment. If you have any sort of problem with your work you can go to Richard or Keith and you’ll be helped.

I was very lucky in finding the place I wanted to work before I found the career I wanted to pursue. I started an internship at Rocketmakers just after I finished my A-levels, and was encouraged to try out any aspects I was interested in. By the end of my internship I knew I wanted to become a software developer.

Supported by Rocketmakers I applied to the Mayden Academy developer course, and I am now on an apprenticeship scheme and developing websites and apps as part of this amazing team. It is so rewarding to work alongside such talented and friendly people on projects with real purpose, it feels like I’m making a difference to the world.