Angela Branaes

"I don't believe my personality types fit me or my answers. I would be careful with using your personality to dictate what kind of job you can and can't do. Instead think of what you're interested in doing and what impact you want to have on the world. Founders come in all shapes and sizes, some are computer scientists (Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Dell, me), some have MBAs and marketing, sales or consulting backgrounds (StitchFix, Rent the Runway, Airbnb, Instagram) and some were out there selling fax machines without higher education (Sarah Blakely of Spanx). My background in software engineering gave me the advantage of being able to build whatever pops into my mind. It gives me unlimited creative freedom. This means that I don't have to hire someone to make my ideas come to life and instead, I can try them out over a weekend at home. One of the most important skills studying computing gave me was the ability to problem solve really well, as well as being able to learn very quickly. Contrary to popular belief there is no such thing as a \"typical\" software engineer. Some love sitting on their own and some are really extroverted. Some like following a spec, others hate being told what to do. Some can design the most beautiful apps, others can't design to save their life. I'm happy working on my own, but I also love working with a team of other people, sharing a common mission. I like developing new apps and websites, but I also love design and ideas. It's OK to not fit into a personality pigeon hole."

"I am the founder of Proximistyle. As the founder it's my job to figure out what our company's goal is, what problem we're trying to solve for people and how we're making the future a better place to live. Since we are an early stage company, it's also my job to design and develop our products. I talk to users, I design apps and websites, I test those with the users and then I build them. I also am involved in sales and marketing to make sure we sell products. I like the variability of my job and never do the same thing two days in a row. I get to create something completely new from scratch. I love it!"

"I studied for a BEng in Computing at Imperial College London. The people who funded Google, Elon Musk, Sarah Blakely, my Dad and my friends who are entrepreneurs have all inspired me. It normalised the job and made me realise that doing what you love and working on your own project isn't scary, it's the most rewarding thing out there."

"I love programming, design, video games, fashion, reading, skiing, fine dining and travelling. I don't fit a stereotype - don't feel like you should either."

"8:00 - 9:00 exercise. Your first responsibility is to your own health and exercise has been shown to increase productivity, immunity and ability to learn and memorise. 9:00-10:00 Get all the small tasks out of the way. This could be emails or other minor things that need doing. Your cortisol levels are higher in the morning, so you're better set to do focus work at that time of day. 10:00-12:00 Do a big chunk of work. This might be design work, software engineering or sales. 12:00-13:00 lunch, often a lunch meeting. After lunch I either continue working on my big task, or I have a series of meetings. I always make sure I get 8 hours of sleep every night. You can't be creative and efficient if you're tired, especially after you've reached your mid 20s."

"Undergraduate degree (BSc, BA, etc.) BEng Computing, Imperial College London "