Sasha Burgoyne

Sasha joined as a project manager in 2018 and is now Academy Head of Operations. 

I started my career in recruitment, helping clients in the technology sector hire for a variety of roles. It gradually dawned on me that I actually wanted some of those roles for myself, and be part of the tech world!

I took a sales job at a fledgling software product company. As so often happens at start-ups, you get asked to help out around the business, and I found myself product-managing two development teams. I then moved to a product owner role at another start-up, before deciding I wanted to work for a slightly larger organisation.

That’s when I moved to Softwire, initially as a project manager. I worked with some great clients, including the Fleming Fund, BBC, RSA and BEIS, while teaching myself to code at the same time.

Helping people switch into tech careers

As someone who’d experienced some of the challenges involved in a career-switch, I wanted to make it easier for others to get into the tech sector.

I pitched the idea of what’s become our free-of-charge career-changer coding course and placement scheme, TechSwitch, to the Softwire board. They’ve been incredibly supportive, and I was given time and resources to develop the programme. It’s been running for several years, and every attendee who’s subsequently sought a tech role has got one.

Having people who’ve been on the course tell me it changed their lives is an incredible feeling, and makes all the work the team puts into TechSwitch completely worth it.

Growth opportunities

One of the things I love about Softwire is the speed at which you can progress your career, and the opportunities everyone gets to do so in line with their strengths and interests.

What this has meant for me is to broaden my remit to now oversee Softwire’s wider Academy division, which includes our apprenticeship scheme, as well as TechSwitch. This means I can help even more people fulfil their dreams of a career in this wonderful industry!