Alex Hunt took part in the Professional Pathway (PP) scheme at City, University of London. He now works as a Software Engineer at Meta.
What made you decide to join the Professional Pathway scheme?
When considering universities and a career in tech, the Professional Pathway scheme at City was pointed out by a family member as offering a unique opportunity to work full-time while studying in the heart of London.
While initially sceptical, I realised I’d been comparing other universities based on standard three-year course outcomes and friends’ opinions. I also knew that I enjoyed doing things that were practical — PP would provide genuinely differentiated offering.
Could I start offsetting my student debt? Did I want to kick-start my career by 2 years? I realised this could be game-changing. If I were picking City, it was to get on this scheme.
What roles did you do whilst on the Professional Pathway scheme?
In my first year at City, I reached out to a number of companies seeking a web development role. It took time, but I landed a job at a small digital product agency which was building websites, UI libraries, and apps.
Having my foot in the door, I was then fortunate to work on the side of web and native apps. This was immediately hands-on and allowed me to broaden my skills as a software engineer, moving into full stack, DevOps, and mobile development over the next three years.
Moreover, I was exposed to working with outside clients and startups. This included the incredible experiences of launching two startups (one in healthcare and one in cryptocurrency), contributing significant features and being involved in a product team with the founders.
Looking back, starting at a smaller company (circa 30 people) was ideal since I was encouraged to get stuck in across the stack and across roles. The variety of projects that came up while at an agency were immeasurably useful for learning, and I’m so grateful to everyone at that company for supporting me.
Describe your career journey since graduation.
After graduating, I stayed on with the product agency for a further six months, at this point having made Senior Engineer. I came to understand that being involved with a zero-to-one startup was the work that I enjoyed the most, and this motivated my next move to Unmind.
At the back of my thoughts since 2017 was my love of the mobile framework, React Native. Unmind had rearchitected to React Native while I was there, and I had helped them complete this project and shift to a singular codebase. With this work complete, and when a recruiter reached out about a contracting role at Facebook (which maintains React), I had to go for the opportunity.
After eight months I converted to a full-time Software Engineer at Meta and spent the next year working on WhatsApp’s frontend. Then, my chance came around when the React Native team had a London opening, and I joined in 2022. This meant a shift (and specialisation) from working on products to working exclusively on infra — still something I’m adapting to!
This year, I will give my first public talk representing React Native, at App.js conference.
Are there any lessons you want to share with current Professional Pathway applicants?
If you're considering PP, start looking for roles immediately. While the university has existing partners, you are free to find and join any company you want. Make use of free tech meetups and hiring events to find and engage with companies.
When meeting potential employers, explain that you’re seeking an entry-level role and a 4-day workweek to accommodate your studies. Tech remains a uniquely in-demand industry, which gives you the opportunity to explore and set your own direction.
Develop practical skills. Work on one to two side projects that demonstrate ability in the area you are applying for or might be interested in. Learn from online sources such as YouTube and Skillshare.
Aim to build and ship a project end-to-end, which you can reference in an interview. Get this up on GitHub with a descriptive README. This needs to be done in addition to first year studies and will make you a more competitive and valuable candidate.
What you focus on, you achieve.
Any final message about the Professional Pathway scheme?
To this day, I am incredibly grateful for the Professional Pathway scheme. I can't recommend it enough to anyone considering a career in Software Engineering.
In tech, your experience is more valuable than your degree. Being able to work full-time for three years during my studies was an absolute superpower. Being involved in real projects motivated me much more than being in a classroom. And I’ve been incredibly lucky to have worked at great companies with great people. Thanks so much to Mohson, Rebecca, and the PP team for making it possible.