Tell us about your job.
I’ve been with Codit for one year as an Azure consultant. I have a background as a technologist. At Codit U.K we have principal consultants that lead the conversations with clients, or our general manager and his team will set the architecture and strategy. My job is to come in and deliver development tasks, so data and documentation. I work in the background of any project we do. I am exclusively in Azure space and work on integrations with workflow tools of Azure Logic Apps.
What do you find exciting about your job?
One of the reasons I joined Codit is the technology they use. I spent 6 years working in global products in a media company, where we didn’t really use the cloud. But everything I saw suggested the cloud was very powerful, accessible, and it made it easy to do things globally. Codit is at the forefront of the cloud technology, especially in the integration space. I joined the company to realize the benefits of cloud strategy particularly in the Microsoft product space, they are champions of this technology. I was looking for a consultancy that’s top of its field, and the people in Codit are very much top of this technology. I am not yet the same caliber as my colleagues, so every day I work hard to learn what my peers know and learn from them.
What is like collaborating with your team?
So we use a lot of collaboration tools such as Teams which is used heavily for video conferences. Also, we use the channels in Teams where the U.K team uses a number of them exclusively for projects. We use as much as we can the wider Codit teams channels, we also use SharePoint to communicate. We have a good set processes that make it straightforward to understand when to ask a question and how to follow best practice. On top of that, we have inherited the rich libraries from across Codit, we also have nice UK customer-specific materials, and documentation to guide us. During lockdown we made use of remote sharing, doing internal huddles when availability with the client allows us to. It’s very much a face to face and there’s constant interaction because there are a lot of people related to any specific on any project. It can be as frequently as daily. We are also in constant touch with people working in other teams across Codit. We have a useful daily catchup which is optional but everyone joins anyway. The communication in Codit is as good as I’ve seen it in any organization.
Codit also has a nice blend of people. I was very fortunate that 6 months after my arrival we had the Codit Royale 20 year celebration. We got to meet our colleagues from across Europe, and in the UK we took that opportunity to spend some time with each other. This doesn’t happen a lot because our principles can be very busy. I have a little bit more breathing room. For me, there is a definite demarcation between work and my private life. I have two teenage children which means I have a busy existence outside work. I’m not made to feel not able to participate in the activities but Codit has found a nice balance to get to know people at the right pace.
What’s it like working for Codit as a whole?
Over the period I have been with Codit there has been an acquisition with Proximus. Over the last 30 years, I’ve worked for several organizations and have seen acquisitions, and in many cases, it’s not enjoyable. In the past 12 months, I have seen the acquisition with Codit as been super positive. The Codit leads have been open with sharing things, which is important.
I think our management has done an excellent job of painting the realities and being positive about the company. I know enough about the finances to be well informed, I haven’t had any concerns and haven’t seen anything that would be concerning. Changes happen in all organizations, if there weren’t changes it would be odd, and Codit handles the changes very well.
Tell us about all the certifications you earned during lockdown? What was your biggest motivation?
During lockdown, Codit U.K saw certifications coming out of its ears! I achieved mine recently, I have an AZ 204 Azure Developer Associate. It took me a lot more effort to achieve mine. The last time I got a Microsoft certification was 26 years ago, I knew it was going to be difficult when you take these exams, you have to be in a bare room, nothing on the desk, no wall, no pen or piece of paper. I write on paper, that’s how I remember things, so it was a challenge to remember everything and have no notes. Codit has supported me to achieve that certification and I feel lucky they support that.
What is your ultimate career goal?
I am positioning myself toward the end of my career, while there are challenges and opportunities that I’ll embrace and will keep me engaged in the next ten years, I probably am less hungry for advancement opportunities. I am very much looking to do the job I am doing and to get better at it, and there’s certainly lots I can improve and given the quality of the people around me, there’s lots of incentive to be continued to be involved. In the past, I spent periods of my career looking for advancement and financial rewards in it, I would be expected to travel and engage in customer engagement like what the seniors are doing in the UK such as Iain. That is something I have come from rather than heading towards. For me, it is important to have a good work environment in a quality organization, such as Codit. I’m relatively happy to be doing what I’m doing for the foreseeable future, and becoming more efficient and improving, rather than your more classic career path someone younger might be looking for.
Tell us something about yourself that we may be surprised to know about you.
In the past, I have held 4 plumbing qualifications for property development – a lucrative hobby. As a part of that, I did all the plumbing for the properties, so I could change your radiators or put solar panels on your roof.
I also spend a lot of time refurbishing things like broken technologies, so I am developing more practical skills to mend those types of things.
Do you want to join our amazing team in the U.K? We’re hiring – check out the jobs page.