It wasn't. Here's what I learned about the human side of being a developer, and why I'm now teaching it to others - especially those who remind me of that 15-year-old who left school with nothing but a Delphi book.
I'm Keeghan, and I created HuSOC because I spent years wondering why my technical ability wasn't translating into career progression. The breakthrough? The ability to communicate and explain code was more valuable than the code itself.
I taught myself to code at 9 years old by reading "Delphi in a Nutshell". By 13, my best friend and I had started a game development "company" with the lofty ambition to build an MMORPG. We built up a team of 8-10 people at its peak.
Did it fail? Absolutely. We were 13 and knew close to fuck-all about running a team or managing a business.
But here's what we did achieve: we wrote pretty decent code. We learned how to recruit. We discovered what it meant to lead a team. And most importantly, we learned that failure isn't something to fear - it's part of the process.
That early experience set me up for a career of constantly trying new things and ideas. I'm not afraid of an idea failing, because I learned at 13 that even "failures" teach you something valuable.
I grew up below the poverty line in New Zealand and left school at 15. No qualifications. No safety net. Just a knack for writing code and a belief that it would be enough.
Tech genuinely changed my life. It gave me opportunities I never would have had otherwise. It took me from New Zealand to Sweden, then Liverpool for seven years, and now Newcastle as of early 2025.
That's why HuSOC's youth bootcamps are 100% free for underprivileged young people. Because I was that kid. And talent and potential aren't limited by circumstance - opportunity is.
After teaching myself to code, I worked my way through nearly every role in tech. Database administration. System administration. Android development. iPhone development. Web development. Customer support. Technical sales. Compliance work like PCI-DSS certification. I moved from developer to Business Analyst to Head of Development.
I worked for everything from multi-billion-pound enterprises (like Vertu Motors, the UK's fourth-largest automotive dealership group with £4.7B revenue and 8,000+ employees) to scrappy startups like Birl. I built products used by thousands - ChessTraining.app has been running for 4 years with over 5,000 monthly active users, and my Chess Puzzles API serves 3 million requests monthly to hundreds of users.
By any measure, I was technically competent. More than competent.
But I kept hitting a ceiling. And it took me years to understand why.
My ability to write code wasn't why I got promoted. My ability to communicate and explain those lines of code? That's why.
I wish I could say this realisation came easily. It didn't. I'm deeply introverted and have struggled with social anxiety for most of my life. I still script out conversations with cashiers sometimes. I use self-checkout to avoid having to speak to people behind a counter.
But I learned something crucial: improving your communication skills doesn't mean changing who you are. It means expanding your capabilities. It means building a bridge between your technical expertise and the people who need to understand it.
And once I made that shift? Everything changed.
Here's a statistic that should worry us: 80% of developers are unhappy at work.
But here's the twist - it's often not the code that's the problem. It's everything else.
The industry has done a brilliant job teaching people to code. We've got bootcamps, university degrees, online courses, and endless tutorials. But we've completely neglected the human side of being a developer.
How do you explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders? How do you handle being challenged in meetings? How do you give feedback without creating conflict? How do you progress beyond senior developer when that requires leading people, not just writing code?
I learned these skills the hard way, through trial and error over 15 years. I made every mistake. I had uncomfortable conversations. I got defensive when I shouldn't have. I stayed quiet when I should have spoken up.
And I kept notes. I developed techniques. I found frameworks that worked. I discovered that being introverted and socially anxious didn't have to hold me back - I just needed different tools.
That's what HuSOC is: the resource I wish I'd had when I was starting out.
I've sat in your seat. Whether you're a junior developer trying to understand how to communicate with your team, a senior engineer wondering why you're not getting promoted, or a manager struggling to bridge the gap between technical and non-technical colleagues - I've been there.
Across the full tech stack and every role from DBA to Head of Development
Companies like Vertu Motors (£4.7B revenue) and multi-site operations
Startup environments where you wear every hat and move fast
Built products used by thousands daily, serving millions of API requests monthly
Led PCI-DSS certification and enterprise security frameworks
Technical sales, customer support, infrastructure, development - I've done it all
I speak your language. And I know what it takes to progress, because I've done it whilst battling the same social anxiety and introversion that many developers face.
HuSOC isn't about turning developers into extroverts or teaching you to "fake it till you make it". It's about expanding your technical stack to include human protocols.
For mid to senior engineers who want to level up their communication and leadership skills
For underprivileged young people, because everyone deserves the chance tech gave me
For companies who want to build better engineering cultures and more effective teams
We also provide real, actionable advice through articles and resources that you can implement immediately.
This work matters to me personally. I know what it's like to have the technical skills but struggle with the human side. I know what it's like to be overlooked for promotions because you can't articulate your value. I know what it's like to avoid conversations because they make you uncomfortable.
And I know what it takes to break through those barriers whilst staying true to who you are.
When I'm not coding or coaching, you'll find me playing chess (hence ChessTraining.app), climbing, or running D&D campaigns. These hobbies aren't just downtime - they've taught me about strategy, problem-solving, and the importance of building teams that genuinely enjoy working together.
Because that's what this is really about: creating a tech industry where brilliant people can thrive without having to pretend to be someone they're not.
Whether you're an engineer looking to level up, a young person eager to learn, or a company wanting to build a better culture - I'm here to help.
No pressure. No sales pitch. Just a friendly conversation about how we can work together.
Remember: Even the most elegant code is written by humans, for humans. Let's make sure you're fluent in both languages.