Eleni Kola

Job:

Product Developer

Company:

AND Digital

I work for AND Digital, a company that helps clients to launch better digital products and build high performing digital teams. In my role, I work as a software developer, participating in a big range of projects that use a variety of technologies and languages in order to help our clients improve the user journey experience for their customers.

I am...

Hard-working

Passionate

Curious

The skills I use most in my job...

Problem solving and logic

Coding/Programming using various frameworks and languages ( e.g. Javascript, .NET, SQL, Node.js, etc.)

Creativity

Communication

Research

The most interesting thing I've worked on in my career so far...

As part of my cooperation with NHS and the “Not just a thought” initiative, I worked on building a Proof of Concept of an Augmented Reality mobile application that would help identify, advise and support children that have been abused. It was an amazing experience interacting with young people, getting their feedback and views on what would be more beneficial and helpful to them and adapting your work to make it easy-to-use and meaningful to your end user.

What inspired me into digital and tech...

As a student I was really interested in biology and computer science, so in my mind I thought it would be amazing to combine the two and work on something like bioinformatics. I chose to make a start with a computer science degree and when I finally got my first job at AND Digital, it honestly broadened my horizons and gave me opportunities I didn’t even know existed. So I decided that actually this is exactly what I want to do.

My educational background is...

I finished my BSc in Computer Science at the Athens University of Economics and Business while living in my home country, Greece. Later on, I moved to the UK to start a MSc in Advanced Computer Science which I completed in 2017, just before getting my first job in the technology industry at AND Digital.

What advice I'd give to girls thinking about a career in digital and tech...

Absolutely go for it! It’s an industry that offers you such a wide variety of roles and opportunities to try yourself in different things that it’s inevitable to find something you genuinely enjoy doing and are passionate about. Especially if you are a person like me, venturesome and continuously looking for new challenges and exciting experiences, you will always have things to explore and revitalize your interest in the field of digital. Don’t let fear of failure keep you from trying, look at it as an opportunity to better learn yourself, your strengths and your passions.