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Janet Dornan went from Web Application Development student to successful Software Engineer at Metro Bank. We caught up with Janet to discuss her success and how completing the course prepared her for such a prominent role within the industry.
As an Associate Engineer, Janet is part of a small cohort who will spend the next two years training within a variety of engineering departments at Metro Bank. Janet is currently working within the Angular Chapter but will also have the opportunity to experience departments such as Automation, Java, iOS and Database before deciding which area she’d like to progress in.

Having a background in graphics engineering, Janet felt web development was a natural progression, and something she was interested to learn more about. She already knew of the Code Institute, having heard great things from her peers, so she was eager to apply when she came across the Level 5 Diploma in Web Application Development.
As a bolt-on to her Engineering degree, the one-year, part-time course was ideal as she could complete it alongside her current job. Being a distance learning course meant location wasn’t an issue and Janet could complete work virtually, from the comfort of her own home. She added: “By enrolling with EKC Ashford College I was entitled to an advanced learner loan, relieving the financial pressures that retraining and upskilling sometimes comes with”.
By completing the Level 5 Web Application Development course, students become confident in the world of web applications and frontend development. Course Trainer, Rachel Furlong explained: “The curriculum is structured to equip students with the competencies required to thrive in an ever-changing workforce. Completion of the qualification culminates in a comprehensive portfolio of work that serves as a showcase for prospective employers, providing students with the credentials to get hired.”
Students cover the language, frameworks and tools needed when working with databases and programming software, taking on ‘milestone’ projects throughout, where they put their skills to the test and build fully functional projects. Janet commented that she enjoyed the course, particularly these key projects in which she was able to use her creativity and initiative to build and design apps that were practical and necessary within the real world.

Janet enjoyed her time as a student, feeling supported by Rachel, her course facilitator, and the industry mentors she had for each of the Milestone projects. She also appreciated the support provided by the Code Institute, commenting: “My experience was pretty good because the Code Institute have their own Slack communities where you can receive help on any technical issues you have, or can reach out for help with getting started on your projects. There is recruitment and career advice and quite often sessions were set up with potential employers.”
When asked if she felt completing the course had helped her progress within her career Janet said: “The course is brilliant for career changers like myself. It meant that I could learn all about web development and at the same time, build some awesome projects to showcase on GitHub to potential employers. Being able to actually build the projects also meant that when it came to interviews, I had lots of things I could talk about and real experience to draw upon.”
When asked what advice she would give someone considering the course, Janet commented: “It is a good all-round full stack course but it is a big commitment, so make sure that it is definitely what you want to do. The advantage over other bootcamps, is that you will gain a Level 5 Diploma at the same time as studying a very practical, hands-on course. Before enrolling on the course I’d advise trying free HTML, CSS, JavaScript or Python courses on places like Codecademy, freeCodeCamp or Scrimba. They will give you a bit of a head start, giving you an introduction to many of the topics this course will cover.”
We wish Janet every success with her new position at MetroBank and hope her story inspires potential learners of all ages to have the confidence to retrain or upskill.
Learn more or apply for the Level 5 Web Application Development course today.