Belinda Waldock
Director and Co-founder of Software Cornwall
Agile Business Coach at Being Agile
Co-organiser of Agile on the Beach
“Technology is constantly changing and evolving which means there’s always something new to explore, I never get bored, there’s always something new to learn”
Location : St Austell
Years in Software : 17
What does your company do and what’s great about working there?
I have 3 roles that are very different in many ways but also have a lot of synergy between them too!
My role at Software Cornwall is about connecting the software community in Cornwall so we can work collaboratively to grow and develop the sector for the future.
As an Agile Business Coach I help businesses and teams to improve their agility and help them to find opportunties for growth and improvement.
My role at Agile on the Beach is to market and promote the conference and encourage lots of people to join us at the conference to learn about agile and meet like minded people. I manage the website, social media and email marketing channels
The best thing about my jobs are the people and teams that I work with. I love helping and inspiring others to achieve their goals and ambitions in their work and life.
Career Pathway
I became interested in computing when my Dad bought an Atari 800 in the late 80’s, I did some basic programming, writing and design on it as well as playing games.. when they would load!
I tried a number of jobs after I left school but I kept getting bored, I moved from Cornwall to West Sussex where I spontaneously applied for a degree in Computing at Portsmouth as a mature student. I always wanted a degree and I wanted to do something that would enable me to return to Cornwall and have a rewarding career.
I bootstrapped my way through university, funded by building websites and working part time. I did a bit of programming in my degree but I also did subjects like Computer Law, Project Managment, Social Media, User Experience, and Software Engineering. After I graduated I spent some time working for a tech start up and also a summer at ICL Outsourcing in London.
I moved back to Cornwall in 2001 and became an ICT Business Advisor with actnow helping businesses to adopt broadband and invest into websites, online marketing and wireless technology. I then spent 2 years helping farms to adopt technology and another 5 helping high growth businesses to invest into software and leverage online sales and marketing opportunities.
In 2011 I joined Oxford Innovation as a Business Coach where I helped software businesses across cornwall to adopt Agile Project, Product and Business Methods. I joined the Agile on the Beach team and ran the Agile Innovation project which developed the agile method beyond its use in software development teams.
In 2015 I went freelance with my Agile coaching, community and marketing work and with others set up Software Cornwall as a not for profit business to help support Cornwall’s growing software community.
What’s your favorite part of the work you do?
I enjoy every part of my work! Agile on the Beach is the highlight of my working year where I get to celebrate the work of the past year and meet with lots of like minded people.
Technology is constantly changing and evolving which means there’s always something new to explore, I never get bored, there’s always something new to learn.
What piece of advice would you give anyone considering a career in the Software sector?
Explore the options and try things out, there are so many ways to learn core skills and understand the theory and how software teams work, experience is incredibly valuable, look for opportunities to gain experience and try out different types of work, take an agile approach!
You dont have to be a coder to work in Software, there are a huge variety of roles which can lead you to being a developer or in an entirely different direction! Software Companies have marketing, sales, testers, product managers, designers, finance, project managers and many other roles to choose from. Look for a role that you enjoy, have fun, keep learning to find and harness your natural talent.
What’s the best thing about living and working in Cornwall?
I love Cornwall, the community is collaborative and friendly which makes for a great working environment.
I love horse riding and the beach, I love the outdoors and the rural coastal landscape of Cornwall.
What are your favorite products and services you have helped to develop?
I have written and published a book this year which has been an ambition I’ve had since I was at primary school.
Contact Belinda
www.twitter.com/belindawaldock