Hey, I'm Paul Singh
And I love all sorts of things from writing code and blogs to cooking and traveling
My Introduction to the Web
My introduction to to the internet came when I was around 12 years old in the form of 56k dial-up via the TV of all things. Yes, you read that correctly, there used to be a service known as On Digital which provided you with a huge black box akin to a Sky TV digibox, a keyboard and a few cables to connect everything with the phone line. When you plugged the set top box into the TV it essentially became what is today known as smart TV (does this mean they invented the original smart TV?).
You know how you can go on a website nowadays and there are images and everything else loaded within an instant? Yeah, that wasn't the case back then. I distinctly remember literally waiting for hours to download an image. What's more, you could forget using the landline while the internet was connected..
However, the lack of speed did not alter my instant love for the internet. I would spend countless hours everyday posting on E-feds (basically wrestling based forums where users would role play and enter tournaments) and thinking I was a boss with my <marquee> elements and basic CSS. I'd spend an immeasurable amount of time loading up MSN messenger, visiting Newgrounds (Youtube before Youtube, well, sorta) and shamelessly visiting the Spice Girls' fan pages. I guess you could say it was love at first byte.
My love for the internet lead to a lot of stigmatisation. Back then it was seen as a fringe niche and if you knew how to use a computer which wasn't a games console (I loved those too, of course) you were a weird geek or nerd. I was already getting racial abuse so I didn't let a few more horrible words stop me from continuing to explore the online world.
From Rapping and Live Audio to Web Development
My original career path, if you can call it that, saw me taking to the stage to drop bars in open mic nights and small venues around the UK. Between writing lyrics, recording, mixing & mastering songs and trying to light up the stage, I spent countless hours making random websites, shooting & editing music videos and maintaining a UK Hip Hop media outlet known as Black Budget Entertainment (which I later sold as my first business venture).
This all lead to me going to university at SAE London to pursue a BSc in Audio Production. Sandwiched around my studying I gained 7 years of experience working in the music industry as a mix engineer at Audiohaus UK while working on a freelance basis for John Henry's LTD as a member of their extended crew and tech team. During the latter I was privileged to be able to work on a number of high profile shows and films including Later with Jool's Holland, Top of The Pops, Rocket Man and many, many more.
Then I Made the Switch
Throughout my life web development and writing code have been a pleasurable hobby of mine. While I thoroughly enjoyed making random websites and scripts I had never actually considered that it could be a profession.
How could I, little old Paul, join the elite webmasters and code wizards of world? Surely a mere mortal like I was too dumb to dip my toes into the digital pool of innovative mavericks whom get paid to write code resulting in games, applications and everything along the way.
Sure, I can read documentation and figure things out independently. I mastered DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) on my own and learned how to manage a complex 62-channel mixing console with an intricate patch bay, linking multiple outboard units, microphones, and instruments. But code? No way. Those guys are geniuses, and here I am, just a bloke from a council estate raised by a single mum.
In 2019, however, I plucked up the courage to start my journey. I had just been through the lowest point in my life, battling both severe, suicidal, depression and alcohol addiction so what was there to lose? I started by completing the legacy Full Stack certificate at Free Code Camp which gave me the courage to begin attending free local meetups around London.
I have to say, I owe a lot to those meetups. It was here that I gained confidence in the fact that coding is for everyone. If it weren't for the welcoming arms and supportive words of speakers, founders, lead engineers and pretty much everyone in attendance I doubt I would have succeeded.
To my utmost surprise I wasn't looked down upon by these people whom I saw as rockstars. Quite the opposite. They were giving me tips of how to succeed in this industry, sharing experience from their journey and, most of all, being human.
Following on from this experience I plucked up the courage to complete the Fullstack Open course by the University of Helsinki in an attempt to further my knowledge in the more modern tech stacks of the time.
Look, Mum, I did It!
Shortly after completing the Fullstack Open course in 2021 I landed my first ever full time job as an Optimisation Developer at New Look UK, yes, the clothing brand, and quickly moved on to my current employer, Journey Further. Since joining Journey Further I have risen from a frontend developer in the Digital Experience team to the founding Lead Engineer in the brand new Tech Solutions department.
In my new role I am building all sorts of interesting tools and apps from data visualisers which assist with client account management to internal tools which scrape and sync data between platforms. I'm using a wide variety of tools and learning new things on a daily basis.
I'm privileged to be a position where I can travel the world and do the thing I love to make a living. I often expect to wake up back in that damp infested flat with crumbling walls, all of this having been nothing more than a beautiful dream. However, until that day, I will keep on smiling.
My Core Values
We all have morale red lines which we will not break. As such I have listed mine in case you would like to see a bit more about what makes me, me.
Get in touch
Keep it Honest
Whether taking an introspective look at yourself or giving feedback to others I firmly believe in the importance of being honest and retaining integrity. If we were to live in a world where honesty was nullified we would never be able to learn or grow.Promote Equality
We are all people and we are all equal. Faith, nationality, gender and sexual preferences are all personal to us as individuals and the wide variety of people in existence is what makes this tapestry known as life worth living.Own Your Mistakes
We all make them. From lead engineer to budding junior there will be mistakes which you will make, and that is fine. The important thing is to learn from them and remember to help others when they make them.Be Free, Have Fun
Life is too short to put yourself in a box and take yourself seriously. Explore the planet, explore yourself, explore everything and, most of all, enjoy yourself. We all should embrace the freedom which a world as bountiful and beautiful as ours has to offer and we should all feel empowered to do so.Show Empathy
We all have our own internal struggles and it is important to try and understand that when interacting with others. Sometimes people are just having a bad day and, instead of fighting fire with fire, it is more productive to try and place yourself in another person's shoes so you can better help them out of their funk.