#nationalcodingweek interview with Jacob

Our final interview is with Jacob, who is the most recent member to join the team and is our second Graduate Apprentice.

• 18 September 2020
• By Maria Bell
•  Events

Name: Jacob Mercer

My role in Mesomorphic: Graduate Apprentice

How I got into coding: Through my brother, while I was looking for a career change from catering he suggested I try my hand at software development. While the two roles are very different there are certain transferable skills, not least the need to think logically about the order that you need to do things.

My favourite language: Predominantly at work I have been working with Ruby, my degree coursework has also introduced me to basic Python but so far I find Ruby a much more enjoyable language to write in, though this may be because I am much more experienced with Ruby rather than Python.

My dream project: That is a tough one, I’m not sure I have a dream project exactly. One of the great things about coding is that it is relevant across every sector. The sheer variety of opportunities to learn about different businesses and how they function is probably what appeals to me more.

If I were to recommend a resource to learn coding, I would recommend: I started off by doing courses through Codeacademy, which were very helpful as an initial introduction. Aside from this I would suggest just getting stuck in, while it can be very daunting at times with a steep learning curve, there are very few problems that someone else hasn’t already encountered and Stack Overflow is a great resource for anyone of any experience level.