I really enjoyed my time during College. Having come from my secondary school to a College that has so many people, I was able to meet new friends as well as reconnect with friends I hadn’t seen since primary school.

I had an incredible Computer Science teacher who really believed in me. She kept my spirits up and encouraged my focus on Computer Science, which I went on to study at university and is now my career. She had a huge impact and it was amazing to come back and see her and the department as part of a module I took at uni.

In my second year of uni, I joined a small start-up business working on the technical side, which was great for my personal development. Doing two software engineering internships also helped me to secure a job when I graduated.

In my final year, along with three other co-founders, I created a start-up called Nestwork – a careers education platform which aims to help students learn and find out about opportunities and work experience insights. Balancing this with my final year uni work was a challenge! We officially launched Nestwork in September 2023 and it’s been incredible seeing the impact it’s made.

After graduating, I secured a full-time job as a software engineer with JP Morgan, where I enjoyed developing a banking app that I could see people using every day. I also continued my work with Nestwork, leading technical development for another few years. That was even more challenging than balancing things at uni, but it was so rewarding and it has been great to learn from experienced people.

Now I’ve moved to payments company Dojo, in another software engineering role, this time specialising in web rather than mobile technology. I decided it was the perfect time to move, having completed 3 years and closing down the startup, I was looking for something new and more challenging.

Since 2021, I’ve also been on the committee as a Web Developer for Black in Sport, an organisation that celebrates Black sporting achievement and amplifies Black voices within the sports community. I’ve really enjoyed seeing how we’ve grown from a room in Loughborough to the London Stadium and our impact.

Looking back, I wish I had known just how many different types of roles there are available within technology, and that you’re not just confined to one. My advice for someone going into software engineering or tech in general, would be to do personal projects and develop yourself outside of the classroom. It really helps you learn and you get to see what you like or don’t like, and can push yourself into some cool spaces.

Som E-Agwuegbo

Reigate College: 2017-2019

Higher education: BSc Computer Science, Loughborough University

Currently: Software Engineer, Dojo