Kim Diep
Software Engineer & Tech Coach
Creator of CuriouslyCode
I am a Software Engineer & Tech Coach. As a Tech Content & Workshop Creator & Mentor, I help people engage with technology in fun and practical ways, whether they’re just starting out or looking to improve their skills at any stage of their careers. I draw on my personal experience of finding my niche in technology, as a former Sustainability and Business Application Consultant with a background in Geography and Environmental Modeling. I currently volunteer as a mentor for those who are underrepresented in tech and/or come from socially disadvantaged backgrounds.
Tech is interactive, so tech education should be just as fun too! I love creating things for tech education and I’d like to think I add some magic to explain complex tech concepts in energetic and exciting ways. I love sharing my own journey and experiences with the community to showcase a relatable and human side to tech. It's so amazing to witness the impact of my work in encouraging others to learn and grow in their technical skills and confidence.
I do a bit of everything! On some days, I find myself designing or delivering a workshop. On another day, I’m writing up a guide as part of my @thekimmykola guides for the community. That’s not all, I’m a Full-Stack Software Engineer which means I also work to define and plan what to build, how to build it and then I go and build the thing! This could be anything to do with building a web application, working with cloud technologies or working on Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). I’m currently expanding my software skills on an exciting and refreshing tech stack with front-end web technologies (HTML, CSS, React), cloud technologies (Amazon Web Services & Google Cloud) and Node.js and C# for the backend. I’m currently learning all about systems design, cloud technologies, Micro services, and Event-Driven Systems.
How I discovered technology & coding: I studied Geography and was exposed to scientific computing at university. I wrote my first line of code whilst trying to find better ways to extract & process some climate data for my climate modeling simulations. After graduation, I worked for a couple of years as a Sustainability Consultant and Business Application Consultant; but found myself being drawn towards technology. My software engineering interest was kickstarted by Code First Girls, where I attended their Web Development and Advanced Ruby courses at Twitter UK and M&S Digital from Autumn 2017 to Spring 2018. Early in 2017, alongside Code First Girls, I moved laterally from sustainability consulting to technology as a Business Application Consultant. I was tasked with implementing Agile software development for the first time in the company without prior tech experience. I then went on to receive a fully-funded scholarship to attend a 16-week intensive Software Engineering Bootcamp at Makers in February 2019.
I used to over-engineer my career, overthink my goals and where I needed to be. This made me unhappy with my achievements because I always think of the ‘ideal’ future, or even worse a timeline for my career. A few years ago, I thought I would be a Sustainability Consultant, but I was totally wrong! Things didn’t turn out that way at all. Nowadays, I am less focused on the future. I focus on my mission and vision and seek to do the things that fit my personal values. These change all the time as I experience new things. I take things day-by-day because I know the future isn’t here yet. I encourage you to pursue your interests and don’t be distracted by what everyone else is doing. Don’t be too hard on yourself and certainly don’t think too far into the future!
If I’m not doing tech stuff, you can find me doing so many things! As a highlight, I love instant film photography. It makes me slow down in a very noisy world. I’m currently using the Fujifilm Instax Mini 11. I also love playing games on my Nintendo Switch, such as Animal Crossing, New Horizons, or catching Pokemon.
“It’s important to ask yourself ‘how’ and ‘why’ you want to do something. Everyone is different, you know yourself better than anyone else. Change doesn’t happen overnight, you have to have grit and patience to see it through. If you fail at something, it’s natural to get frustrated, but get back up again. If it’s not right for you, then find something that makes you tick. Successes are without failures; they go hand-in-hand. Remember to go easy on yourself and get plenty of rest! I speak from experience of burning out so many times! Most of all, there are some things which don’t work out in life; c’est la vie!”