I’ve never been good with computers. I’ve always been bad with math. Humanities are where my talents are, and that’s what I studied when I got my bachelor’s degree. What I really wanted was to do something creative. I did writing and digital art but as much as I loved it I simply lacked the skills to get any kind of employment in either field.

After I graduated I didn’t know what to do. I wanted something I could do reasonably well, something that could give me an income while I developed my artistic skills on the side. Working with books is very appealing if you’d like to be writing them, so I went to college to become a Library Technician. It was only at the end of the course they told us how library jobs were being cut everywhere. Three years later and I still hadn’t found a decent job, let alone one in my field.

Then I found Hatchways.

Up to this point, the only bit of tech work I’d done was build a very basic text-only website, using entirely HTML. Through Hatchways I learned so much more about making websites - and much to my surprise, I was told I was good at it. Not so much back-end programming, but front-end designing, HTML and CSS. That I could do. I hadn't expected my skills with digital art and photoshop to be transferable, but they were, and here was something I was unexpectedly good at.

I was nervous about getting a placement. The best I hoped for was a quiet front-end job where I could tinker with websites until they looked nice.

Hatchways got me a placement at Wattpad. Wattpad. As a writer, this was a Big Deal. I got to read all day and do synopses and write ups of stories. I got to work for a company that does something I believe in. I’ve never had a job that suited my skill set so perfectly. I’ve never been so complimented on my job performance. It gave me writing experience and confidence in my abilities, and let me see that the skills I had were useful - it was just a matter of finding the right job where they could shine.

Needless to say, working with Wattpad was by far my best working experience. I didn’t know there were jobs like that. How can you get the job you want if you don’t even know it exists? That’s what Hatchways is so good with. They do the searching for you. They’ll ask about your skills and interests, let you try out different kinds of work to see what you like, and then match you somewhere that suits you. It’s easy enough to find somewhere that can get you a job, but a job you’ll actually enjoy? That’s different.

I’ve had chances to explore all kinds of tech work with Hatchways. Currently I’m editing content, making icons and designing backgrounds. I’m getting a chance to use my writing and drawing skills in a useful way - and getting paid for it!

As an artist, that’s no small feat.