Hi, my name is Kane Partridge, I am 16 years old and in my spare time I do lots of coding in C#, C++ and a bit of Java.
I have currently been working on a Point-Of-Sale app project, trying to make it work with specialised hardware, like barcode scanning phones.
How I got here
I have chosen computer science, product design and business studies for my A levels which I will be taking next year. I wanted to go into a career of software development or networking infrastructure.
I first found CloudyIT when I was looking into finding work experience, from there I found out about the Cloudy Foundation Enterprise Academy program where they teach software development with the Microsoft Power Platform.
Using Microsoft 365
The Power Platform allows apps to be made which run off centralised data connections and can be run inside Microsoft TEAMS or on the web.
My app-building work experience
When my work experience week started on the 28th March I was tasked with creating a Fire Extinguisher Inspection app for Oakpark Alarms.
Scope of work
They needed an app which could run on a tablet and allow their inspectors to easily record the inspections. The app also needed to cover workflows for potential issues, such as:
- If there are issues with the extinguishers or they don’t pass the inspection, a repair automatically needs to be created so that someone in the admin part of the company can arrange another date for an engineer go out and fix the problems.
- A way to manage all of their clients and the sites that Oakpark service for that client.
- Linking all the repairs and inspections so that all their data is tied together.
My journey
At the start of the week, I didn’t know much about the Power Platform or how it can be used and what it can do, but after the second day and some help from the developers at Cloudy I was able to make apps that worked with Dataverse table in Power Platform.
What I did:
- Learned about data structuring and creating these into tables
- Learned how data is connected to Microsoft Power Apps and how it can be made in Dataverse or SharePoint
- Learned about templates and how they should be used to create unified looking apps
- Learned about how to use colour themes which suit the client and their business
- Made Oakpark app in Power Apps
What I found most challenging:
- Learning all the different macros and commands that Power Apps have and using them correctly
- Making the user interface to fit in with other apps that CloudyIT has already made
- Trying to finish the app in the timeframe given while still trying to include all the features that the client had requested
Completing the app
With the information that they taught me I was able to finish the app that they needed in 4 days, ready to be shown to the client at the 2 times weekly Cloudy Foundation Enterprise Academy meetings.
From what the clients said, they were happy with how the app was developing but they had more suggestions that they wanted to be added to the app to make their inspection workflow better.
Day trip to a Data Centre
On the Wednesday we got to go to the Data Centre that some of Cloudy’s servers are rented from. I found this a really interesting place to go as it’s a field that I am interested in. Seeing all of the security and massive high powered networking equipment was amazing. I enjoyed seeing how all the computers and virtual machines are run on the hardware that Cloudy has in the rack, and was interested to see how it was all connected to each other and operates.
My time with a network engineer
On the Friday, I got to talk to one of the CloudyIT network engineers who sets up all their networking and server equipment. He went through how they setup services like pfSense for VPNs, how network attached storages are setup, and how phone systems can be structured with services like FreePBX. He also went through the different systems for servers using Hyper V and VMware, as well as some of the benefits of using Windows or Linux, and in what situations they are better or worse.
My experience
Overall, I have really enjoyed my experience and what I have learnt at CloudyIT and in the Enterprise Academy for my work experience.
I have learnt lots about software and networking which I can take into real world uses, and I feel this gives me a real head start into the fields that I want to go into as a career.
Want to do what Kane did?
Read more about this Enterprise Academy project and how to get involved.
Contact us or register your interest on the Cloudy Foundation website.
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