Updated on by Hayley Brown
Lawrence is a qualified teacher and developer who is currently taking a break from teaching and instead working for Cyclr as one of our Platform Developers. Lawrence has many years of experience in programming and is known for his exceptional attention to detail and pixel-perfect templates.
We sat down with Lawrence and discussed programming, technology and the digital future.
What’s your current role and what do you like about it?
My current role is Platform Developer. The thing I like most about my role is problem-solving; I love encountering problems and working through them logically to find a resolution. It can be frustrating when the fix is elusive, but once you work it out and it clicks into place, it’s a great feeling.
How did you get into Programming?
My programming journey has many different stages, but it all started when I went to college and studied Software Development. I wanted to become an ICT/Computer Science teacher, and this seemed like a good way of doing that.
What’s your earliest memory of you learning to code?
I would say my earliest memory of coding would be when I put together a flash game website in secondary school. All the popular flash game websites were blocked, so I decided to make my own.
What’s a programming language that you would build EVERYTHING and ANYTHING in and why?
This is an easy answer for me, and that would be C#, and the reasons for this would be it was one of the first languages I learnt, and every programming job I’ve had uses it. It might not be the most powerful language, but you can make whatever you want using it.
What’s something you think Software developers do not do enough of?
I would say personally, they don’t use their skills enough outside their job, for example, creating software that isn’t for their employers. Professionally they probably don’t document their work adequately. However, this may just be me.
What is your least favourite thing about programming?
This is a tricky question, as I love what I do. However, if I had to pick one thing, it would be the lack of physical activity. Every other job has kept me physically active in one way or another; however, programming does not.
What’s a technology you’re currently learning or excited to learn?
There are a few technologies that I’m in the very early stages of learning: SignalR, Blazor and Unity.
Time travel 10 years into the past or 10 years into the future? What does technology look like?
The first thing that came to mind was VR (Virtual Reality) headsets. 10 years ago, VR headsets were conceived, but now they are popular, powerful, fascinating pieces of technology. However, in 10 years, not only will VR headsets be more mainstream, but brain-computer interfacing will be in its infancy and revolutionize the way we interact with computers.
Lastly, what advice would you give to a budding developer?
There is a lot of advice one can give, but I think the best would be to start with a simple app and have fun with it. It doesn’t matter if the app you make has already been made or if it’s not going to solve everyone’s problems; the main thing is that you made it, learnt something and had fun doing it.
