Just go with IT!

Much like my dad, I've always been a nerd. He was a programmer in the 90s, so I had an early introduction to computers; when I was about 5 years old, he came home from work with a tired old Windows 3.1 PC, and I was enthralled.

I think this is where my love of all things tech stems from - I needed to know how that beige box worked and, more importantly, how I could play Doom without my dad finding out.

From this context, most would assume that I had always worked in IT - in fact, this is completely untrue! After leaving sixth form I began working full time, and I've since enjoyed a variety of roles in different business functions - as a Customer Service Advisor in a number of call centres, in operational roles for energy suppliers, as a Business Analyst, Solutions Consultant, Process Improvement Analyst...but there is a common thread here. In each of these roles, I saw opportunities where technology could be used to reduce manual work, even in a small way, and implemented them successfully. I believe it is that drive towards tech-focused problem solving that helped lead me to my spiritual home in IT.

I've now been an IT professional for about three and a half years, mostly as a Scrum Product Owner. My role at Imperial College London is my most challenging to date, and I genuinely feel as though I learn something new every day. As Cloud Product Owner, I've been tasked with building the College's cloud capability, and I'm excited to be taking the lead for such an important step into the future. Increasing the use of cloud platforms will allow us to offer elastic, secure, highly available solutions across business operations, teaching, and research, while helping to reduce our spend on new hardware (CAPEX) as services are moved from ageing physical infrastructure to the cloud.

So, what advice could I give to someone wanting to work in this incredible field? Firstly, make sure you find something that interests you! If data and analytics are your thing, you could look into training as a data scientist, or specialising in ‘Big Data' (an ever-expanding field). If you're more ‘people-centric', look into Agile methodologies, project management, and people management, where interpersonal and organisational skills are highly valuable and sought after. Second - and this is arguably the most important point I'd like to make - never rule yourself out of an industry you're interested in because of a lack of qualifications. I studied English literature at university, not computer science, and the skills I learned along the way have been a huge asset to my career. Bring the skills you already have to the table, and you might find a new home for them. The diversity of roles in the IT world should be reflected by the diversity of those who perform them; the only way we can get there is by bringing more people into our technological tribe.