Student Q&A: Adam Coville

While Adam Coville had experience working in the electrical trade, he wanted to change careers and noticed that the concepts of programming were a great compliment to the field, so he decided to study Programming with Upskilled.

During this course, he found a passion for working on mobile projects, as well as gaining relevant experience using core Microsoft technologies. Learn more about Adam's skills, experience and short and long-term goals in his Q&A below. 

Could you tell us why you chose to study Programming?

 As a recent immigrant to Australia, I found myself unable to work in any capacity of the electrical trade without paying excessive licensing fees and getting some certification. I was considering a career change anyway, but the fact that Upskilled offered a self-paced online curriculum for less than the cost of those licensing fees made the decision seem more attractive. 

Programming is also a good complimentary discipline to the electrical trade. I’ve seen where they come together in automation and robotics and I would love to continue exploring the synergy between them. 

What inspired you to pursue a career in programming?

My interest in programming dates back to high school, and previous college courses I attended in the early 2000s. But this is not enough experience in the eyes of the employers in the U.S, certainly not in Australia. 

Technology has changed a lot since then, so it was a good time to retrain anyway. I probably should have pursued a Bachelor’s Degree, but the pricing of tuition for non-permanent residents is very high and this was another factor that influenced my decision to start with a ICT40518 - Certificate IV in Programming. 

What skills have you gained or improved on since completing Programming course?

 From Upskilled I gained proficiency in core Microsoft technologies, such as:

• =C# 
• .NET
• SQL 
• Xamarin. 

I was introduced to the concepts of unit testing and test-driven development. 

I feel like I really got to spread my wings a bit on the mobile project and would like to continue developing it into a fully-fledged mobile game in the future. I learned more effective ways to manage a complex project and I feel it’s put me in a better position to make progress on other projects I’ve been struggling with. 

Tell us your experience with online learning. How did it help you?

 In my current circumstances, I would not have been able to complete this course if it weren’t online and self-paced. There are advantages which allowed me to work around the many demands of having young children at home. I could not have completed this if I had to arrange daycare and transportation to and from a campus on top of everything else this required.

What aspects of the course did you enjoy and why?

I enjoyed the open-ended nature of the mobile assignment. It allowed me to become more invested in the project and try harder to put it together. On the other hand, I bit more than I could chew and almost couldn’t get a passing grade in time - that was a valuable lesson in project management.

What short or long-term goals do you have planned for the future?

In the short term, I need to re-enter the workforce. Local market conditions seem to be that a Certificate IV just isn’t enough to get into a junior developer role. 

I may have to pay the licensing fees to work as an electrician again after all, or work in some other field in the short term while I figure out the best way to complete a Bachelor's degree using the credits I gained from this Certificate IV. 

While it’s disappointing, at least it’s closer to a career change than I was before. In the long term, I am interested in starting my own robotics business, developing advanced unmanned vehicles, and smart-prosthetics.

Want to gain skills in programming? 

 If you're looking to change careers like Adam, studying Programming could help you gain relevant skills in the field and prepare you for higher-level qualifications such as a Bachelor's degree, leading you to a more specialised job role in programming.

Check out Upskilled's extensive range of information technology courses and upskill for the career you love today.