James Forward

James graduated from Kent in 2017 with a BSc in Computer Science. Since then he has worked in various Software Engineering and DevOps roles in both Kent and London. In 2023 he joined Natwest Boxed as a Backend Engineer, where he has helped build the project from the ground up, influencing many architectural and technological capabilities.

Tell us about your career path since graduation.

Initially, I joined Systems Mechanics (a company in Whitstable) in 2017, shortly before graduation, as a Graduate Software Engineer and after a few years I was promoted to Software Engineer.

Then in January 2021, I was offered a position at a startup company in London called Zilch. Same job title, but higher pay due to being in London. I was promoted in early 2022 to Senior DevOps Engineer after my job transitioned to be more focused on DevOps work than Software engineering. Due to a company recalibration, I later went back into Software Engineering as a Software Engineer Level 3 (senior software engineer).

I left in February 2023 to join NatWest's business banking app, Mettle. In April 2024 I moved teams within the same core company (which renamed itself to NatWest Boxed) to focus on working on their new banking-as-a-service proposition which was a completely greenfield project where I had input from the start of the development including major architectural and technology decisions for the identity-as-a-service capabilities.

I am still working on the team now getting prepared for our MVP launch.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

On a typical work day I start work in my home office at 9.00 (as I am a remote worker). I catch up with my team at 9.30 in a stand up and then attending various meetings throughout the day.

When I'm not in meetings, I'm mostly coding or planning architecture of our system.

Can you share a professional highlight from your career so far?

The main highlights of my career have came from when I was selected to lead projects across all the companies I have worked for.   

How did your time at Kent help you achieve your current career?

At Kent, I learned a whole array of fundamental knowledge that helped me with understanding computer science and software development that was crucial for me to break into the industry. I also learned, more generally, "how to learn" from my lecturers and support network which I believe has been the most critical skill for success.

What advice would you give to our current/prospective students who are looking to get into the same line of work?

My advice for anyone wanting to get in the same line of work is to always be curious, look at open source projects, study the code, and look at pull requests.

My biggest bit of advice would be, if you're using some open source tool for something and it breaks, or doesn’t do what you want it to, don't just accept it. Look at the code, see if you can fix it, submit a pull request yourself.

Even if you aren't confident, do it anyway. Best case scenario, you did a great job and it's accepted and you get recognition! Worst case, you'll get feedback which will help you grow.

Do you have a favourite memory from your time at Kent?

I think my favourite time at Kent was when I collaborated with a bunch of people I knew to try and start a new company (with the innovation centre's help), including other students.

 While this didn't work out for various reasons, the fun I had working with everyone on it remains a fond memory, and I learned a lot from the experience.

Is there anything you would do differently if you could repeat your time at Kent?

If I could repeat my time at Kent though, I would have done the Year in Industry. Plenty of other students did it and I hear it was a great opportunity to get stuck in in a real working environment.

While university is great for learning theory, learning how businesses work in the real world is also a crucial skill that experience cannot replace.

Are you still in touch with other Kent alumni or academics?

I remain in touch with several people I knew at Kent even now, including my closest friend Semih.

What are your future ambitions?

It's always difficult to determine exactly what I want for my future, but I've always wanted to run a company, or at least the technology department. Whether that's at NatWest Boxed, another company, or even my own startup is yet to be seen, but I know it will happen one day!