Meet Lisa

In our where are they now series, we caught up with Lisa Lightfoot

Tell us about yourself 

My name is Lisa, I’m nearly 40 and have two children aged 7 and 9. Before we had the children I was Deputy Venue Manager at a beautiful grade 2 listed events venue in London where we hosted corporate and private functions for between 2-400 people. I was lucky enough to be able to stay at home for seven years with my kids whilst they were little, but when my youngest started school I felt like I needed to get a job again for my own sanity. I also knew that I wanted to change industry as I felt the long, and often unsociable, hours of event management weren’t suited to our situation at the time. However, I had no idea what to do or where to start!

How did you find out about Digital Gum?  

Fortunately my friend Joe was working in Louize’s hub, developing a new software business, and heard of her plans to start the Digital Gum course and thought it would be perfect for me - the timing couldn’t have been better. 

What brought you to the course?  

At the time I felt very out of touch, as I had been out of a corporate environment for so long, and that some of my skills had been eroded whilst at home with the kids. I was lacking confidence in my own abilities and needed a way to help rebuild this.

How did you feel day one? 

Like a new kid at school! Quite nervous about being out there on my own again, as me rather than as someone’s Mum. Louize was very welcoming and quickly put us all at ease.

Tell us about your experience on the course, what did you learn, who did you meet? 

We were the first cohort through Louize’s programme which was exciting in itself. I met a range of other people; some in similar situations to mine, others from different backgrounds but who were all looking to up-skill and reinvigorate their careers in different ways. 

I learned so much!  We were introduced to a range of different technologies and learnt great new skills such as how to build a simple website using WordPress, simple coding, creating social media posts and 3D printing. We also had some fantastic speakers including Nick, CEO & Founder of Snaffling Pig, who was very inspirational.  His story, of how he set his business up from scratch, was fascinating and showed the importance of being brave and putting yourself out there in order to succeed. There were also great insights from Rachel at Gossip Girl about managing social media accounts and Antonia Taylor PR about personal branding.  

How did you manage to find the time to attend the lessons?  

I started the course when my youngest son had just started school, it was perfect timing as he started in September and the course began in October.  As the course was part time it fitted within school hours comfortably.

Now you’ve had time to reflect what was the biggest benefit of going on the course? 

The boost it gave to my confidence; that I still had a “work brain” that hadn’t been forever lost amongst all the nursery rhymes and nappies. I also felt it gave my CV a large boost, showing potential employers that I was serious about up-skilling before re-entering the jobs market.

Were you one of the students who did their homework straight away or the night before? 

Straightaway!  I’ve always been a bit of a geek and super-organised so I hate leaving things to the last minute, plus I actually enjoyed completing the homework tasks we were set!  I’ve never written a blog before so it was interesting to do that every evening after the course, and I loved getting creative with graphics and images to demonstrate what we had learnt.

What was your favourite module?  

I really enjoyed learning about managing social media accounts and the creative side of making a new website, wire framing a site for the charity was also a great experience. 

How did you feel about the pitch back to the charity?  

Terrified!  Public speaking is not my strong point but it felt good to know that the work we had completed was going to be of use to a local charity.  It was also so valuable to have that experience presenting in a real-life situation again. 

What are you up to now?

After going on the course, I started to look for different roles locally.  I felt empowered by the HR speakers that we had heard from on the course to look at roles I maybe wouldn’t have considered before and then discuss flexible working options. I saw an administration role in our local secondary school advertised and decided to apply. I was very lucky and got the job, the hours are perfect as it lets me work whilst the kids are at school. I feel as though attending the Digital Gum course really gave me a boost in terms of confidence and skills, plus it provided me with a recent experience which I could discuss during the interview.

How has lock-down been for you?

It’s a bit of a rollercoaster isn’t it!  Some days I think I have it nailed…I’m managing to complete all the work that is being emailed through to me, having zoom calls with colleagues, with the kids happily completing their school work next to me after doing a Joe Wicks PE lesson together. Other days I’ve contemplated going to sit in the car with my laptop and a coffee to work, just to escape for a while!  On the whole though I feel very fortunate that I can work effectively from home, and although I might not be the world’s greatest teacher my family are happy and healthy which I’m very grateful for.   

Is there anything that someone could do to help you right now? Either business or personal?     

I’m not sure there is to be honest! Maybe provide another laptop to make home schooling easier

Are you taking any time at the minute to learn new things?  

I’ve been attending online meditation sessions which have been much needed and not something I’ve done a lot of before. I’m also learning how to use Microsoft Teams for work and to access my eldest son’s schooling which is a new technology to me. In any spare time I have I read a lot as I find it’s a great way to escape when we’ve been locked down. I did also teach myself how to fix our washing machine from a YouTube video!  But no, I haven’t managed to learn Spanish or become a guitar virtuoso – I’ve been trying to focus more on enjoying the slower pace of life whilst we can and not feeling guilty that I haven’t mastered Mandarin.

Why would you recommend Digital Gum to someone?  

It’s a great course run by an enthusiastic and encouraging leader, Louize has so much energy and positivity which is inspirational. I really enjoyed the way the course content touched on a variety of different areas, rather than having a narrow focus. If there is a topic that particularly piques your interest, you can learn more about it in your own time or it may provide a suggestion as to which direction your next steps should be in. The course also acts as a fantastic confidence booster to anyone looking to return to work after a break, or take their career in a different direction.