Team Spotlight Q&A
Our team come from a diverse set of backgrounds and everyone has their own unique story to tell. Here's a little more about Joe's journey!
What were you doing before you joined the team?
A: I was working at CeX, where I did testing and repairs to the hardware, and I did that for two years straight out of college. It made me realise I liked IT and technology, so I applied to Shiptheory and the rest is history.
What was your first role at Shiptheory, and what do you do now?
A: I've made a lot of progress while I've been here. I joined in 2018 as a support apprentice, and did first line support for the first couple of years. As we started to grow and the support team got bigger, I moved up to second line support and began working on technical escalations and a bit of development work on the side. As of a month or two ago, I got promoted to Team Leader, which is where I am now.
How has Shiptheory helped your growth personally and professionally?
A: The big one for me is, it's made me much better at taking responsibility for what I do. When I was a lot younger and working in retail, you can leave at 5 and someone can pick up exactly what you were doing the next day. When you've got tasks specifically assigned to you, it's your responsibility and you're held to account.
Also, from a personal standpoint, when I joined Shiptheory I was 20. I didn't have experience working anywhere other than a rowdy shop. So it's helped me get to grips with being in an actual 'work' environment. Overall, there's just been a lot of growing up while I've been here, and I couldn't have done that without Shiptheory.
What has been your proudest or favourite moment working for Shiptheory?
A: For me, my favourite moment was probably when we all came back from lockdown. Since entering lockdown, the company had grown massively so there were a bunch of people to meet who I'd been working with for over a year and hadn't met in person yet.
Of course there's always a lot of work to be done but once the work is done for the day, we have a lot of fun, and being able to interact with people in person lets us take that to the next level.
Would you recommend working at Shiptheory?
A: I really enjoy working here, it's a fun working environment and there's also great opportunities for progression. The company is always growing so there are always new opportunities to progress in whatever direction you'd like. I came in as an apprentice doing first line support, and now I'm a Team Leader and can write some PHP - who'd have thought it? So overall, yes, I would definitely recommend it!