IM GOING TO BE A CEO

So a job title describes someone’s job or position in a company.

I have had quite a few over the years.

My earliest job title was when I was 15 as a Sales Assistant in Boots the Chemist at the Eastgate Center in Inverness (and yes after playing havoc with their computers I went on to work there) I worked on the record and photography counter. I had a name badge with my position on it. Check me!

Next up I started working with my Dad in his own business (Tuckwell Cable Vision Enterprises) fitting TV and background music systems. I didn't have an official title but was an Apprentice Engineer. I learned a lot about running cables, using tools, and connecting and commissioning systems. We installed some of the first satellite dishes in the highlands, and at the time they were 1.8m across and came in petals.

I then went to University and became a Student, 2 summers were spent working with my Dad and I continued to be an Apprentice Engineer gaining more hands-on skills.

In 3rd summer I was offered a job in the Highland Council to be an IT assistant where I was responsible for maintaining network backups and doing print runs working on a shift rotation. I also became an expert in fixing the pole tax collating machine, which took ordered forms folded them, and put them in envelopes. It was temperamental, to say the least.

I left the Highland Council to work with Shell UK Exploration and Production and was lucky to get a year's contract as a Technology Advisor working in a new technology department. I would produce PowerPoint presentations for my manager and test and advise people on new technology, mainly multimedia and video animations. Towards the end of the year, I had my own office with my name and job title on the door. Not bad for 20-year-olds. I was creating training videos using the multimedia equipment that ran on the department's Apple Macintosh II, and yes the technology of the day was to record computer animations I created onto VHS tapes that could be played in the office and offshore.

My manager offered me an extension to create some additional videos, I was due to go back to university to complete my honours year. But a chance to make some additional money as a student was too good to miss. To work as a contractor for Shell I needed to create my own company so I could invoice them so I formed EngTech Enterprises, Just me making videos so I guess my title was Boss or Managing Director. I made a couple of training videos during the year and supplied Shell with a couple of hundred copies on VHS.

On completion of my honours year, I graduated and took a job with Aquidata Aberdeen. A small software company and I was employed as a Graduate Software Engineer. I worked with a Vax VMS and Visual Basic Systems.

The following year I left to join Kvaerner FSSL as a Junior Software Engineer. It was not much of a jump in the title at the time but my options with Kvaerner seemed better and I was able to get more exposure to industrial controls.

I worked my way through the ranks at Kvaerner FSSL as it became Kvaerner Oil Field Products, then Aker Kvaerner, and then Aker Solutions.

I progressed from Junior Software Engineer to Software Engineer dropping the Junior bit.

I went on secondment and became a Test Team Leader working shifts to test the Norsk Hydro Troll C topside control system.

I became a Commissioning and Support Engineer for BP Andrew topside control system, working in Middlesbrough and offshore.

Back to being a Software Engineer, I was promoted to Senior Software Engineer, From memory, I think business cards were all the rage in the company and I received business cards with my name and job title on them.

I progressed from Senior Engineer to Team Leader to Lead Engineer, and latterly to Principal Engineer. The last 3 were much and much the same just a different grade and standing in the company.

I spent a number of years trying to persuade my manager to change my title from Software Engineer to Systems Engineer, as the reality of what I was doing was more related to the design and implementation of topside control systems than it was to software. It didn't happen though as I was not in charge...

I have had a number of non-work-related titles also. I have been a Community Councillor for Foveran Community Council, I have been Secretary for the Hill of Fiddes Wind Turbine fund, oh and I guess Marshall for the Aberdeen and District Motor Club.

So yeah I have had plenty of titles over the years. Normally given by someone or a company.

Now I am starting my own business I need to give myself a title and this time I get to choose. I need something cool on my new business cards.

What title should I give myself?

Should I call myself CEO or should I make up my own new title that relates to my work as Director of Awesomeness?

Is it silly for the owner of a one-person company to use the title CEO? I guess as it's my company and an exciting new project it may change as I grow. So for now however pompous it may seem I'm going to be CEO of my own company.

>> So that's 21 different titles above I can count...

HAVE I BECOME AN EDUCATION JUNKIE?

So this is it. No more student. I've finished and submitted all my CodeClan continuous assessment work for my PDA. It's just a matter of waiting for my certificate to appear in the post and I’ll have a Professional Development Award in Software Development.

I guess it can go in the drawer with my Being In Electrical and Electronic Engineering, my Diploma in Design and Innovation, and my Certificate of User Interface Design and Evaluation.

Have I become an education junkie?

Anyway, it's a good feeling and I'm pleased with what I have been able to achieve. The Careers Lady at school should be eating her hat by now, given she suggested my only hope was trying to get into the back door at a college. Oh, how we laughed!

I went to Fortrose Academy on the BlackIsle for my secondary school. A great little school although I didn't really appreciate it at the time, I had fun. I stayed all the way through to my 6th year and left with a jolly array of subjects including 8 Ordinary grades, 5 Higher’s, and a Certificate of Six Year Studies.

The big players of Maths and Physics are there along with Technical Drawing and Art and Design. I guess I was destined to be an Engineer. My qualifications became bigger and better from here on in...

RGU - BEng Honours Electrical and Electronic Engineering (1993)

When I finished school in 1988 I headed off to Aberdeen and enrolled in Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology (pre-University Days) to study for a Bachelor in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. I had sufficient qualifications to get in without an Interview (or go in via the back door). It was a four-year course with honours. I did the first 3 years and a chance conversation with a lecturer suggested that Shell UK were looking to take students as a part of an industrial placement. I applied and was lucky enough to get a super rare industrial placement. I said goodbye to my fellow classmates and went my own way with Shell for a year. I returned and completed my honours year in 1992 and graduated in 1993, RGIT had now become RGU so I was leaving with a University Honours Degree…

Open University - Diploma in Design and Innovation (2001)

Roll on a few years and while browsing the Open University website a course in Design and Innovation caught my eye. It was a 2-year Diploma and could be studied remotely with Tutor Marked Assignments and some exams. It was all about product design and how to evaluate products and innovate new ideas. The course was quite pricey but I approached my boss at the time and Aker Kvaerner agreed to pay my fees and sponsor me. So free education so long as I did not leave within two years. This course I really enjoyed and learnt a heap about product design and innovation. The course was a real inspiration and I really took to the method of teaching, where you were actively following a set course and had to submit an assignment roughly every month. and then at the end of the year, there were a couple of exams. I graduated with my Diploma in Design and Innovation and had another certificate.

Open University - Certificate in User Interface Design and Evaluation (2009)

A few years later while back browsing the Open University website a course in User Interface Design and Evaluation interested me. At the time I was heavily involved in creating a new User Interface for Topside Control Systems for offshore, so my thoughts were hey this might help make better control system user interfaces. Another discussion with my boss and Aker Solutions was sponsoring me and paying for the course, More free education and of course I was tied in for another two years. This was another great course with Tutor Marked Assignments and an exam at the end. I graduated with a Certificate in User Interface Design and Evaluation.





So this was the winding road to my main qualifications and brings us back to this year and my PDA in Software Development with CodeClan.

I have done many other shorter courses over the years in various subjects. I did another couple of courses with the Open University paid from my own pocket, First up Digital Photography (I couldn't pass this by my boss for sponsorship) and second a Certificate in Web Design (again I couldn't pass this by my boss for sponsorship either, although I did try).

Some other training I was lucky to get over the years as part of my job where I have a certificate includes:

Rockwell Automation - Control Logix Programming - Accelerated. This was a week-long course where I learned to use Rockwell PLCs and program them in a classroom environment.

Wonderware InTouch - This was a two-week course where again I was trained in a classroom environment in a facility in Livingstone. Excellent product and one of my favourites for creating quick and robust SCADA applications.

ICONICS Genesis 32 and 64 - Separated by a few years I have had formal training in the development of both Genesis 32 and more recently Genesis 64 SCADA products.

Introduction to Functional Safety Understanding and applying IEC-61508…

So to the Careers, Lady in Fortrose Academy back in the ’80s who suggested I would not be able to get into University and suggested that I may be able to squeeze in the back door of a college. Not cool but thank you. Your pessimism probably helped push me to achieve more.

Robbie Williams sums up similar career advice here, I may not be on stage and screen but hey Careers Lady I've been to University and more...

I AM ADRIAN TUCKWELL AND THIS IS HOW I WORK

Adrian Tuckwell is a freelance software engineer in Aberdeenshire Scotland. As the owner of Udny Solutions, Adrian can provide bespoke software solutions, web design, and engineering services. A recent CodeClan graduate gaining a Software Development Award and with over 20 years in the controls industry, Adrian is uniquely equipped with the skills to offer quick and quality service. Adrian also owns and runs Udny Designs a craft business raising money to provide therapies for his Son Thomas.

Location: Udny Station, Aberdeenshire

Current Gig: Freelance Software Engineer and CEO of Udny Designs and Udny Solutions

One word that best describes how you work: Systematically

Current mobile device: iPhone 6, iPad mini retina

Current computer: MacBook Pro and 27” desktop Mac

First of all some background and how I got to where I am today.

I grew up in a small village of North Kessock across the firth from Inverness. I have always been destined to be an engineer, loving to take things apart, mend bikes, and build contraptions with technical Lego.

Some time in the 80’s I was lucky enough to get a computer from Santa. It was a Commodore VIC-20, with a whopping 3.5k memory. I remember my Dad and myself turning it on for the first time and waiting for it to boot. When complete it displayed a start screen, We looked at each other and the best we came up with was to type ‘Yes” which gave us an error.

After a few months, I gained a tape player and a 16k RAM pack and started to learn to program in Basic.

One of the programs I was most proud of back then was a small 10-line script that I had memorized. When set running it would count down for a minute, play an alarm sound at full volume, and then disable the keyboard. My friends and I found it hilarious to go into Boots the Chemist Inverness (yes they sold computers once) type in my program set it running and wander off and hide. We would wait for the alarm and an assistant to come and try to silence the computer and fail. The computers were in lockboxes so could not be turned off locally and someone would have to go get a key and open the cupboard below to find the master power switch. We thought this was brilliant.

I grew up and enrolled in Robert Gordon’s University Aberdeen to study for a BEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. I liked soldering circuits so this seemed a good fit and it had some computer programming too. Three years in I took a year out on an Industrial placement with Shell UK in Aberdeen. Here I got my first introduction to Apple computers and multimedia and started my first company (EngTech Enterprises) making training videos using multimedia for Shell. The irony was that the videos were providing training in using Microsoft Windows, but recorded on an Apple.

I went back to Uni to complete my honours year and then became a controls engineer working with SCADA and PLCs in oil and gas for the next 20 years. Then last summer I enrolled in a Software Development Bootcamp in Edinburgh wanting to relearn coding and this is me back to the present day.

What apps, software, or tools can't I live without.

My favourite app is probably boring and non-business related, but I love Instagram. I've been using it for years now and have a whopping 8173 pics uploaded. I love nothing better than taking pics of my boys in everyday life and applying filters and playing with colors and uploading them for a restricted list of family and friends. I actually have two accounts, I have one installed on my iPad too and this is dedicated to my Udny Designs Instagram account. Here I love seeing other crafters and engineers and what they have created and used this for inspiration in my work too.

What is my workspace setup like?

I mix locations where I work. If I'm out and about I have an EDC (Everyday Carry) office that keeps me working wherever I am, assuming I can get Wifi. Here I have my MacBookPro, various cables, and PSU kept in a smart cable carry bag. I have a Moleskine notebook and a Maxpedition mini pouch which holds a few pens, a screen wipe, and my Leatherman Wingman.

At home, I work from my study. I have a desk which I have made myself from two US Pro-Tools roller toolboxes with a top made from an Oak kitchen worktop. I love how it looks and functions. It's really chunky has loads of storage and is really sturdy. It also has hidden storage for my backup drives (1TB and 2TB Western Digital my books) On top I have my 27” Mac and a slide-out drawer for my keyboard.

I quite like the clutter in my study and have a number of toys and tech items displayed on a full wall of Ikea Billy boy bookcases.

What's my best time-saving shortcut or life hack?

Stop procrastinating and just get on and do things. Someone asked me when I was at CodeClan, how I managed to get so much done. I’d be finishing my lab, doing my homework, writing my blog, keeping my personal website up to date, or fulfilling orders for Udny Designs. They asked how I managed all this? I guess the answer is just to get on and do it? Use the spare moments to do something. I have two young boys so my daily routine revolves around their minute-by-minute demands. But in the small breaks, I just get on and do something.

What is my favourite to-do list Manager?

My favourite by a long way is Trello. It's free and so easy to use. The best feature for me is the ability to forward an email to Trello and it will create a new Trello card in my to-do list. I actually have many Trello boards set up and use them every day. When I read an email containing a vacancy for a job I fancy applying for I just forward it to my job hunt Trello board and then forget about it. When I have a few accumulated or I plan to do some applications I just go through my Trello board and apply for the jobs that are on my list. I move the card over to the applied list and set an alarm on it (yes I am still applying for work and setting up a company).

Besides my computer and phone what gadget can't I live without and why?

I love tools and gadgets. So I always need to be carrying some form of LeatherMan multitool. I have two sets of keys and each has a LeatherMan mini tool on them. As discussed above, I also keep my LeatherMan wingman with me most of the time. You never know when you need a tool yourself, or you need to help someone. Walking past folks trying to set up a PA system in CodeClan a few weeks ago. They were struggling with the setup as the phono jack had snapped off in the socket and the remains could not be reached. LeatherMan to the rescue. I failed with the pliers to reach the bit, but using what I imagine is a tool for cleaning horses' hooves I managed to hook the bit that had snapped off and removed it.

What everyday thing am I better at than everyone else? What's my secret?

I'd like to think I have the knack. I seem to be able to quickly diagnose an engineering problem and come up with a solution or alternate way of doing something. I think my secret is I have been desert engineering (making do with what you have) for a very long time and find great reward in fixing and making something broken work again.

What do I listen to while I work?

I'm not that big a music fan, but I quite like listening to podcasts when I'm working. However, if I'm really in the zone, I can get to the end of a podcast and have no idea what I have just listened to. My top 5 podcasts I like to listen to are:

• Making it With Jimmy Diresta, Bob Clagett, and David Picciuto,
• Ted Radio Hour,
• The Infinite Monkey Cage
• Still Untitled: The Adam Savage Project
• Learn to Code With Me

What am I currently reading?

Since watching the movie Cocktail many years ago I have always been drawn to entrepreneur books. So it's no surprise that the current book I'm working my way through is “Build a business from your kitchen table by Sophie Cornish and Holly Tucker”. I also like to listen to audiobooks when I'm going to sleep and have been through most of the Bill Bryson collection.

How do I recharge? What do I do to forget about work?

My favourite place to recharge is my shed. It's quite a large shed and has been set up as a woodworking space. It has a large bench with table and band saws, pillar and cordless drills, and many hand tools. It's where I like to escape to.

What's the best advice I have ever received?

Keep being yourself. When I worked at Shell many years ago as a Junior Technology advisor, someone I worked with said to me after meeting with some managers, to ‘Keep being yourself. When asked how, I was told that I came across really well, been polite and open and just to keep doing that.

Anything else?

I borrowed the idea for this blog post from lifehacker.com. I have read similar posts from other people and have imagined myself answering such questions. Who knows one day maybe I'll answer them for real For now thanks for reading and if you have any questions just email me.

And now that I don't see Edinburgh Castle every day, not to be outdone. Here is Udny Castle. Yup, we have a castle too...

CODECLAN - I AM A GRADUATE OF SCOTLANDS FIRST AND ONLY DIGITAL SKILLS ACADEMY

So I am writing this from home in Aberdeenshire, I have left Edinburgh and my CodeClan learning experience has finished... After 16 weeks of full-time study, lectures, homework, projects, and no life I have graduated. Go me! I did it and have a certificate to prove it. I am a trained coder... A certificate from the Scottish Qualifications Authority should also follow shortly. I am one of about 100 graduates from Scotland's first and only digital skills academy. How cool is that!

Now I have finished, the first thing I would say is I miss the routine and the people who have spent so many hours over the 16 weeks living and breathing code and hanging out with my cohorts. Looking back and having come from 20 years in an office environment it was an odd experience at first but I soon got used to it.

I imagine what it is like to work at Google, People huddled around laptops, dressed down on Friday every day, in chill-out spaces, and table tennis rooms. With hindsight, we were fully absorbed into a little CodeClan cocoon and the environment was set up to learn to code and do it supported by your tutors, support staff, and fellow cohorts. It was a brilliant place to study and work.

Before I go into what I have learned here are key some figures from my time:

• 16 - I studied for sixteen weeks
• 109 - I created one hundred and nine GitHub repositories
• 26 - I participated in twenty-six paired programming labs
• 23 - I completed twenty-three homework exercises
• 3 - I completed three x week-long projects
• 104 - I traveled by train one hundred and four times
• 22 - I traveled by bus twenty-two times
• 42 - My typing speed increased from 24 wpm to 42 wpm
• 3 - I have learned 3 new languages (Ruby, Java, and JavaScript)

So what have I learned in 16 weeks? It's quite a lot of hours but quite a short time to become an expert.

So let's start with the Languages:

Ruby is the first programming language we learned. Looking back probably my favorite of what we did learn, it's simple and forgiving, most relaxed and Arrays and Hashes accept whatever you want to put into them. We learned all the fundamentals of a programming language here: Conditionals, Functions, Arrays, Hashes, Loops, Classes and Multiple classes,

Java was second up and a compiled language, we used Android Studio to code in Java. Initially just used the Android Studio interface to go back through programming fundamentals in this new language, then off into programming Android apps that could be downloaded to Android devices or Android Simulator

JavaScript was third and probably the most versatile that we learned and is currently popular. It's not the same as Java which I had assumed before learning it. We used Javascript to add functionality to our apps and the front ends.

I guess also HTML and CSS could be considered a language, and we did some training on both these to make web pages and make them look cool. In addition, we also had some training in Canvas which gives the ability to draw shapes and pictures within an HTML page.

Frameworks

We learned a couple of frameworks, React and Ruby on Rails, which helped structure our code and automate quite a lot of the boring long-winded scaffold coding.

Computer Science Theory

We learned quite a lot of computer science theory throughout the course, and one week near the middle was dedicated to computer science theory. Learning about the 4 Pillars of Object-Oriented Programming (Abstraction, Encapsulation, Inheritance, and Polymorphism… and that was off the top of my head). Algorithms, Computer Architecture, data structures, parallel programming, and restful routes.

Test-Driven Development

Here we used add-ons in the programming languages that would provide test scripts to test our code. The mantra pushed into us was to write the test scripts first before you write your code. So in a separate structure, you would write the tests, have them test what you expect the results to be, and then have the test fail, then write your code to pass the test.

SQL

To persist the data used within our code we were given SQL skills, enabling us to create a database add tables, seed it with data, and have our code interact with the database. reading and writing to the database such that if the code is restarted the data has persisted.

Unix

Right from the start, we had a small intro to Unix, I had used it before but not for a long time so it was a good refresher.

Git and GitHub

This is our version control system and online storage for our code. I have used version control systems before and this is my new favourite and it is free so long as you keep your code open to the public.

Agile

Each morning we had a standup going around the cohort each throwing a ball among us discussing what we had done, learned, and if we had any problems. A great way to start the day and good for a routine. Everyone needs to participate, instructors included.

And many many more things…

So what Now? I need practice. What I have been taught has been frantic and intense. I am not an expert in coding yet, but I have a good or brilliant foundation to improve on.

An interesting Google estimate out there suggests that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert in something, so I fall quite short of this. But I have notes and a new passion for writing code and learning so I can only improve.

If you are wondering should I go through the CodeClan experience? I say if you have a spare 4 months and like learning, have an interest in coding, and are ok to give up your evenings and weekends and any free time you have for that time. Then Yes go for it.

Would I do it again? Yes most defiantly. It's a real sense of achievement when you finish. There are moments of joy and terror on the way through, however... Joy when you work hard to get something working, and Terror when you are given a task and you have no idea what you need to do or how to do it. This happens over and over again and it starts to become the norm.

>> If you have any other questions ask them below or email me and I will reply.

Thanks again to Code Clan, its instructions, and support staff. And to my fellow cohorts… Well done you ALL Graduated and I'm dead proud. It's been real and one of the best things I have ever done... Wife and Children aside. Thank you!

<< This ladybird book is from when I was a kid in the '70s, and interesting to read to see how things have changed was it my destiny to work with computers. Oh, and I am now fully converted to Mac over PC...