Zuzana Fraňová, Graduate Software Developer

I am currently a Graduate Software Developer. I work on internal applications, developing new features and investigating production issues. But I’m one of the growing number of people here who have switched careers. Before Barclays, I was in Marketing for ten years, working in a range of senior roles.

The pandemic changed things for me. I’d already started to think about moving careers, but the pandemic gave me the time to learn new skills. A friend suggested programming and I did a couple of free online courses. Then I joined a Digital Academy aimed at increasing diversity in the tech world.

One of the partners for the course was Barclays, and all the people I met from there were really nice. So I applied for an apprenticeship position and got it. Throughout, I was given lots of support from colleagues. People with deep expertise were excited to share their knowledge with me, and really listen to me. And I was always given the time to find the solution to a problem myself, as that’s the best way to learn.

Ten apprentices joined at the same time as me, all with different backgrounds and levels of tech experience. One of them was an opera singer! But then, the whole of the Prague team is like that. The size and diversity are incredible.

After nine months at Barclays, I was promoted to the Graduate programme. The key to working here is to enjoy learning. Tech is progressing so fast, that you have to be constantly prepared to update and upgrade your skills.

I was solving problems on my own. It felt pretty amazing.