After I completed my health sciences degree at the University of Melbourne, I began working in a private practice and also ran my own physiotherapy clinic in the spareroom of a local GP on saturdays. The room was small and needed to be a functional physio space, so storage was an issue. Around this time, I caught up with my high school mate and in response to my workspace problem we developed web-based software to eliminate the paper trail. That’s the point at which I realised that software engineering could be put to good use in healthcare. Following 15 years of working as a physiotherapist, I decided to enter the healthtech space.
The Australian tech startup environment is not as developed as Silicon Valley. This means it’s normally not enough to have a plan on a piece of paper and an Ivy League education to get funding, even if it’s a really good idea. Investors want to know beforehand that new concepts will solve problems and lead to something that sells. You need to have an MVP or a tested prototype to show investors that what you’re working with is basically tried-and-true.
I quickly realised I was spending a lot of my own money paying other people to develop working prototypes. At the same time, it was tricky to find technical co-founders. There’s a general shortage of software engineers and developers in Australia, but they’re even more scarce in the startup environment. I eventually thought to myself, “I’m not going to do this anymore. I can’t keep moving back-and-forth, it’s just too expensive and time consuming”. That’s when I realised that I needed to write code for myself. I made a positive decision to get the skills and know-how needed to realise my own MVP.
Having made the decision to upskill, I looked at what was on offer and decided to join Academy Xi. The choice really paid off – Albert’s been a great instructor and given me the confidence to think critically about my own software designs. I test the architecture for any strengths and weaknesses, and then make simple but effective decisions about what needs to be added or subtracted.
It’s been a few months since I graduated and I’m now fully equipped to create my own MVPs. It’s honestly been life changing – the fact that I can now call myself a qualified software engineer. It means I’m less reliant on other people’s skills and as a result, my career’s become much more streamlined.