Meet Darren, our IT Manager here at John Good Group.
We asked Darren some questions as he took us through the beginnings of his journey in the industry, the challenges he’s encountered, and the advice he would offer to aspiring professionals who wish to follow a similar path.
How did you first get into the IT Industry?
I started off doing IT in college which then moved to university. I was then eventually taken on as an IT Support role after I had finished university.
What has inspired you in your career?
I’ve always been interested in computers since the Atari 2600 and Sinclair Spectrum, but I never considered a career in IT until I was pushed to explore the local college courses. I applied for 2 courses, business studies and IT, after a short visit to understand both, I knew I wanted to work in IT.
What are the biggest challenges in your role?
The biggest challenges are juggling different projects, meeting deadlines, working on projects and supporting the teams as needed, it can be difficult to focus.
What skills have been the most crucial to your success so far?
Skills most crucial to my success so far have been thinking logically, self-motivation and learning new things and being approachable to others.
What education or training would be most useful for someone looking to follow your career path?
There are many ways you could go into IT as a career. You could do an apprenticeship in an IT support role, a college course covering a wide array of IT modules or a Computer Science degree at university.
What advice would you give to someone looking to follow in your career path?
On a technical level, there’s a lot you can do from home to give yourself some practical experience in fixing your own and family technical issues or building and upgrading your own PC.
If you’re academically minded, go down the college and university route. If you’re practically minded, try to get an apprenticeship. Also, developing good soft skills, not just problem solving but especially skills for delivering good service will also benefit you and separate you from your peers
What makes you excited about working for the central services at John Good Group?
Many things from being surrounded by good people, good support from peers and management, interesting workload, self-progression, and an overall enjoyment from being part of the team.