Desire Anunobi didn’t have a computer science degree. She had a classroom, a lot of determination and two years of learning behind her. Today she’s a SITS developer at UCL, building integrations that keep student records moving in real time.
This is how she got there, and what she’d tell anyone thinking about doing the same.
At a glance
- Role: SITS Developer, Integrations Team
- Organisation: UCL
- Before La Fosse Academy: Primary school teacher
- Completed La Fosse Academy: 2025
Where it started: coding in the classroom
Desire’s interest in tech started long before she changed careers. While studying at the University of Birmingham, she volunteered as an Enrichment Officer at the University of Birmingham School, where she often found herself supporting pupils in coding sessions.
“That was one of my first experiences of seeing how technology could be used to support learning, and it stayed with me.”
She went on to train as a primary teacher. But as technology and AI grew, so did her curiosity about combining education with tech. A colleague introduced her to Stemettes, which opened her eyes to STEM careers she hadn’t known existed. Her biggest realisation: tech wasn’t a career reserved for people who had studied computer science.
The doubts every career changer knows
Desire’s biggest hesitation was the one many career changers share.
“I questioned whether I could really succeed in an industry where I didn’t feel I had the same starting point as everyone else.”
She knew her teaching skills were transferable. Getting employers to see that was harder. What kept her going was refusing to place limits on herself, and meeting people who had already made the move.
One conversation at Black Tech Fest changed her perspective. She met a man who had secured a role at Bloomberg. He showed her a spreadsheet of his applications: around 150 before his 151st landed the job.
“It reminded me that rejection wasn’t necessarily a sign that I wasn’t capable. Sometimes I simply had to keep going until my opportunity came.”
Why La Fosse Academy
By the time Desire found La Fosse Academy on LinkedIn, she had already completed several coding courses and programmes, plus an internship as a Junior Frontend Developer. What she needed was a way to turn all that learning into professional experience.
“At first, I honestly thought it sounded too good to be true,” she says. “La Fosse felt like an opportunity to take everything I had been learning and move into the industry for real.”
Nine weeks that bridged the gap
The Academy programme ran for nine weeks. The first part covered broader areas such as software development. The second focused on SITS, the specialist student records system, and the skills she’d need at UCL.
“The most valuable part was being able to bridge the gap between learning technology and actually using it in a professional environment,” she explains. “La Fosse helped me understand what it meant to work as part of a technical team and apply those skills to real systems and processes.”
She also valued the people. Learning alongside others built a sense of community, and the pace of the programme taught her resilience and the confidence to keep asking questions.
Life as a SITS developer at UCL
Desire works in UCL’s Integrations Team, maintaining and developing student records databases. A typical day can include:
- SITS enhancements
- Developing and troubleshooting integrations
- Testing changes and investigating defects
- Validating data and payloads
- Building new features for the UCL website
- Documenting technical work
She has also worked on event-driven APIs that integrate SITS with AWS, enabling real-time updates for important student processes.
The moments that proved it
For Desire, confirmation came in stages. Receiving her offer from UCL. Watching an API she’d worked on integrate with a live system. Realising she wasn’t learning about tech anymore, she was working in it.
Then came winning Best Presentation at two UCL hackathons in a row.
“Coming from a teaching background and being relatively new to the technology industry, it reminded me that I had something valuable to contribute.”
What a teacher brings to a tech team
Teaching taught Desire to communicate clearly, break complex ideas into manageable steps, solve problems under pressure and adapt to her audience. All of it translated into software development.
She also brings a people-centred lens. “My background in education means I’m naturally interested in the people who will ultimately be affected by the systems and processes we’re working on.”
And her career change made her comfortable being new. “I know what it’s like to be completely new to something, so I’m not afraid to ask questions or admit when I don’t know something.”
Outside her day job, she volunteers, speaks and mentors people exploring a route into tech. “My journey into tech was never just about getting a job for myself.”
Desire’s advice for career changers
Be audacious
“Don’t decide that something isn’t possible for you before you’ve even given yourself the opportunity to try.”
Your previous career isn’t wasted
You don’t need a computer science degree to start a career in tech. Look at the transferable skills you already have and how they apply in a new environment.
Make your ambitions visible
Attend conferences, talks, workshops and festivals. Build genuine connections. Use LinkedIn to share what you’re learning and the progress you’re making.
Play the long game
“My journey took two years and two months before I secured my dream role. Every course, project, internship, application and experience along the way contributed something, even when I couldn’t see it at the time.”
Frequently asked questions
Can you move into tech without a computer science degree?
Yes. Desire moved from primary teaching into a developer role at UCL without one. She built her foundations through courses and an internship, then used La Fosse Academy to gain specialist skills and professional experience.
Which teaching skills transfer to a tech career?
Clear communication, breaking down complex ideas, problem-solving under pressure, adapting to different audiences, organisation and teamwork. Desire found all of them valuable in software development.
What does a SITS developer do?
SITS is a student records system used by universities. At UCL, Desire develops and maintains integrations, tests changes, investigates defects, validates data and builds website features.
“La Fosse Academy gave me the opportunity to turn two years of learning, persistence and transferable skills into the technology career I had been praying for, believing for and preparing myself to step into.”