Instilling: The Future

Coming live to you from Instil’s mysterious “cloakroom” (one of the many funky nooks and crannies Instil has repurposed in their office for employee use), Niall Keys shares his journey into apprenticeship at Instil, navigating unfamiliar terrain as a soon-to-be graduate and what initially sparked his fervour for programming in an industry that is rapidly evolving.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

I went through phases, and obviously as I got more mature, I realised how much I enjoyed studying computers and problem solving. Even as I look back to my childhood, I was a huge fan of Lego, and a lot of what we do is incredibly similar, where you're taking different components of a system and putting them all together. So, I can start to see my problem solving, creative mentality begin to emerge from early childhood. I've always been really fascinated by problem solving.

Did you have any previous coding experience before your apprenticeship at Instil?

I did a little bit obviously through studying computer science, and I think to be honest my computer science teacher at A-level was better than any lecturer I've had since! He was amazing, and a huge part of that was seeing his enthusiasm. I was really into photography at the time, and still am in lots of ways, so when we had to do a final coursework piece where you got to build an app, I built a photo sharing app (essentially a smaller version of Instagram) where you could go on and see the settings that someone had used in their camera to take specific photographs. When you ‘liked’ the photo it wasn’t just based on what you had seen but based on the approach they took to capture it. I used the knowledge I’d gained in this experience to inform my initial approach to coding at Instil.

Wow, that app sounds very innovative! I was about to ask, do you have any hobbies with transferrable skills that have assisted in your software journey so far, but maybe you would say photography?

Yes, and especially the problem-solving aspect of building that specific software for my coursework. Photography can be more than just having a creative eye; it takes critical thinking and definitely quick decision-making skills in order to deliver an image under pressure.

What are the most important values and inspirations you hold that you bring to your work at Instil?

I think it's my want to do things well - probably to my detriment at times, but I am a perfectionist at heart. It's amazing and it's also the worst thing in the entire world. You always think that nothing is ever good enough but, yeah, that is the feeling that consistently inspires me to be striving for more. Also, I thrive in the idea of making a difference and solving real world problems. To be honest, if I go back to the root of why I do this, it would probably be for those exact reasons.

Any challenges you've overcome in your career so far?

Just probably the challenges in my own head, it's that innate ability to know when something is good enough, knowing when to draw the line under something. You know, to find that sweet spot where you still deliver extremely high value, but in the same vein, know that even though perfection is unattainable, you can get pretty darn close.

If you had to pick one, what would you say is the best moment of your software journey to date?

Probably the first proof of concept we'd done on our new AI & Data team. It was my first experience with a prototype that moves so quickly, and when we demoed it to our client in the US it was clear how beneficial our system could be in speeding up their workflow. Seeing that end to end was quite cool.

Was that a proud moment for you?

Yeah! Proud in that a) we’d solved their problem and b) they wanted to take it into production immediately, so it was clearly a real problem for them and again something that was previously unsolvable.

How would you describe the team dynamic at Instil, and what is your favourite part about the company culture?

Obviously with the hybrid era that we’re now in, it’s not every day that everyone is in the office, but when we do all work from the office, in some ways it nearly feels like a day out because you get to see people that you usually see on a screen! Even just having lunch together and over the summer having barbecues in the office, it's lovely to have that time where you don't only feel like you talk to your colleagues about work.

Be honest, do you have a workplace ick?

When it gets to Wednesday and someone joins a call and says, “Happy hump day!”

*Laughter*. Does that actually happen?

Yeah, it does my head in. Total ick.

And finally, do you have any advice for budding software engineers?

To consider value when you're applying somewhere. Look at the scale of the company, read up about their workplace culture. Value companies that don’t just view you as a number; it is a mutual investment between you and the company. They're investing in your development as an individual as well, and not just vice versa, so consider how they will help you grow. It’s worth taking the leap because you'll be given opportunities to do work that excites you, and for me in our AI & Data team, I’m doing something that hasn’t been done before and is reframing the entire industry. I’d say, to remind yourself that you aren’t just a cog in a big machine, you're actually doing work that is important and things that matter both now, and to our future.