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 I didn’t originally work with technologies; I started my career as a primary teacher but then moved onto various things. My first technology related role was in 1998, training medical staff how to use the internet, search engines and online medical databases. I continued down the technology route for several years including eHR rollouts, some more eLearning and eGovernment. I also completed the Certified Internet Webmaster – Master Designer qualification which covered basic computing, site design/development and eCommerce.
I originally decided to do this because having done some eLearning work, I felt that on projects there were significant gaps in my understanding of why things were working / not working and I thought that focusing on the technical aspects would help. I was also keen explore the mobile web and mobile learning opportunities.
This qualification and 18 months of study in my own time whilst on a full-time job was challenging but ultimately rewarding in the ability to create content that I couldn't do before, my understanding of how technology ‘works’ and access to a wider range of career options. I studied mostly with men – when I went in-house for exams, I was sometimes the only woman attending, although this changed even whilst I was studying.
I returned to eLearning in a learning technology role for a global professional services firm and currently work at Surrey University as an eLearning Adviser – working with staff to provide advice about different technologies and how they might be used within learning and research. I have begun to explore mobile application development and have started teaching myself higher-level programming languages such as Python and Java. In the future, I would love to work for a mobile technology firm or on mobility related projects.
Some of the highlights have been helping to deliver technology projects on time, working with great people, exploring complexities of trying to integrate different technologies. It is fascinating to work with non-technology specialists and help them find their way around a dynamic web world.
Outside of work, I am learning Taekwondo; it’s nice to have a complete change of scene, hard work but healthy!
If you are just starting out in IT, try writing your own blog about your experiences or contribute to others by commenting on their posts – it’s a great way to explore your ideas with a wider audience. Joining technology groups on LinkedIn, Yahoo or other networks are fantastic, especially if you are learning programming or development languages and sharing your code helps everyone to learn more. Having project management skills will be transferable across a range of technology industries and broaden your opportunities.
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