YLD Perspectives: Hannah Lloyd

For our new series of YLD Perspectives’ interviews we’ve invited our ‘insiders’ to shed light on their dreams and aspirations, career growth as well as their experience working at YLD.

Could you please introduce yourself to us?

My name is Hannah Lloyd and I work as a Software Engineer at YLD. I live in London and I’m currently working from home.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

The biggest one I think was to be a footballer. I really enjoyed playing football when I was a kid.

What attracted you to the tech industry?

I’ve always been interested in technology and computers; as a kid it fascinated me to look at how everything works! At one point my dad worked as a programmer and so it was definitely a field I was curious about. As I grew older, the tech industry looked like an exciting place to be with the new things happening all the time. Sometimes it would take you to unexpected directions and that’s why I decided to be part of it.

What did you do before joining YLD?

Before joining YLD I was working with a friend and mentor on a really cool new project of his, involving mobile, web and voice apps. Before that, during the last two years of my degree I worked at a couple of start ups where I gained lots of practical knowledge. Studying and working at the same time allowed me to learn a lot, which I really enjoyed. On top of this, it meant I felt more ready to apply to other jobs straight away, fully immersing myself into the tech industry. It was great fun!

What drew your attention to YLD?

I found YLD’s job offer on Linkedin and as I looked into the company it seemed like a perfect place to work, especially for someone early in their career. YLD also came across as a company that fosters an environment where everyone is invited to learn and share their knowledge. When I was applying to YLD another thing that caught my attention was an interview within YLD’s Perspectives series. It was a very personal and inspiring read so I am really glad to share my experience too.

What three words would you use to describe YLD?

I would say that YLD is welcoming, supportive and caring.

What personal traits do you think help you succeed in your job?

I think the will to learn is a big one, along with the enthusiasm to understand how everything works — for instance, while working with someone else’s piece of a project I feel the need to spend time to fully get the hang of it. I think what helps me succeed in my role might also be the willingness to stick with a problem instead of giving up whenever something tricky comes up.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given in your career?

To work in a place where I can enrich my knowledge, where there is room to grow and where I can also get out of my comfort zone. Keeping track of what I’m learning has been very useful to reinforce my expertise and see my own progress objectively.

What advice would you give to someone going through the same route as you?

The same as the mentioned above, for sure, and also to be patient with yourself when you are starting out. It’s important that you don’t expect to know everything.

What in the tech industry are you excited about at the moment?

At the moment I would say it’s quantum computing, I really enjoy reading about it. For someone interested in this topic I would recommend looking into the Quantum Country website.

What inspires you or keeps you motivated?

I think that seeing the result of what I do is what keeps me motivated. We just had the first piece of our project go live and the fact that it’s being used right now is amazing!

What are you looking forward to in the future with YLD?

Given how much I have grown since I’ve started to work here, I can’t wait to learn more and hopefully to meet everyone in person. Also I’ve just purchased my first course using the training budget — Docker and Kubernetes: The Complete Guide. Very excited about this opportunity!

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If you want to join Hannah and become part of our team take a look at our open positions here. If you don’t see the role you are after do still get in touch at talent@yld.io