Apprentice App Developer for NHS Arden & GEM’s BI team, Mohammed Khan, shares his proudest work achievements and his career aspirations in this latest Q+A.
How did you get into working for the NHS?
I first found my passion for programming and coding when I was 15. I built everything from bots and websites to Android apps, and I continued this passion by studying Computer Science at both GCSE and A-Level.
Taking what I had learned myself and adding the theory behind the science of computers definitely helped but I felt like I needed practical and professional experience in a real work environment in order to really hone my skills in software development.
What does your current role involve?
I work on the development of various web applications. This can vary in size depending upon what a client requires, ranging from changing the colour of a button to creating whole registration systems or fixing bugs that crop up here and there. Most mornings consist of regular stand-ups, where we highlight what we have worked on, upcoming projects and tasks, and any blockers. The rest of the day is dedicated to working on service tickets and communicating with Business Analysts and Quality Assurance Testers when needed.
What makes you proud of your job?
My biggest achievement so far has been helping a client make their app more auditable, organised and efficient. In this instance, I worked on a feature for an app that helped a client migrate from creating ‘logs’ in Excel to creating the forms in the app itself.
I’m really proud that the work I undertake delivers value to the NHS and helps clients use apps more effectively, therefore providing better and more efficient services to their respective patients.
What’s your top tip for someone looking to pursue a career in analytics?
In my experience, having some background knowledge on the science of computers and how they understand software development was key to learning how to code securely, with performance and efficiency in mind.
Learning practically also helped exponentially boost my knowledge. It can get boring learning things on a theory basis, but working practically really helped me to learn hands on which I found much more enjoyable and a lot more helpful too. It also highlights which areas you need to actually sit down and learn properly. With the knowledge that what you're learning will be helpful in your practical day to day work, it becomes much easier to sit through it, rather than sitting through something and having no idea how useful it would be.
I also found that working on your own mini projects can go a long way to teaching you things. Think of something you want to create or something that may be useful to your personal life. This could be a game, an app that tracks your calories or maybe even a blog – but it must be something that you will genuinely use to help provide the motivation to complete the project. I guarantee that along the way you will learn a whole bunch of new things.
We are always looking for passionate, talented people who can bring new ideas and new ways of working. Find out more about careers at Arden & GEM.