Hello! My name is Leenah Iqbal and I’m an aspiring web developer.

I was born and raised in Pakistan, married in my teens, and then moved to the United Kingdom to live with my spouse. In 2011, I was admitted to ACCA but by the end of the year, with a three month old baby and pregnant with another, I struggled to balance my studies and I gave up all my dreams, putting my entire focus on my children.

According to my community and friends, my life was wonderful. I was a young, domesticated mother  but because I had children, I was obligated to do nothing or else my children and home would be neglected.

In 2020, when my youngest son began his full-time education, I saw a Bolton College magazine that reawakened my dead desire to learn something. I was soon studying for my GCSE’S and feeling excited for my future. After hearing about the IT sector from my friends, I developed an interest and I began learning to code on the W3Schools, freeCodeCamp and by watching YouTube tutorials. I loved every minute of studying and was quickly eager to learn more.

I had a passion for coding and was certain that it was something I wanted to pursue with my life.

I joined Code Nation and honed my abilities and expertise by studying HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, React.js, SQL, MongoDB, and Express.js. I went from having no experience to working on a variety of solo projects, team projects, and full-stack products. It had been a worthwhile voyage.

Fast forward to 2022 and I met Zoe, the director of Agent Academy, at a Talk Talk Women in Tech event. We had an inspiring conversation about women entering the tech business without a university degree but having talent and a desire to learn, grow, and develop.

I successfully applied for Agent Academy’s Rise programme to gain professional skills, knowledge, and experience in preparation for a job in web development.

I’m now working on a client challenge for Bruntwood SciTech and establishing a solid network of industry executives and experts. We’re only 3 weeks into Rise but already I’m learning how to strike a balance between career and family so that neither negatively impact each other, but rather both sides of my life are enriched.

I am proof that it is never too late to chase your dreams and make them a reality. I am a loving wife, and a proud mother, and I am discovering my own identity as an ambitious web developer and I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without the unwavering support of my partner. Above all, I am content.