We sat down with data engineer Neha to discuss her story, her drive to reskill and change her career and the flying start she’s made on placement.
Neha, tell me a bit about your background. What roles were you working in before you joined Digital Futures?
I worked in various roles, including at an NGO, at an MNC as a customer service representative and as a freelance SEO-optimised content creator in India. Technology had always been on my radar; I had thought about it when applying for courses at university, but I opted for a hotel management degree which I didn’t end up using.
My interest in tech really took off when I became a Conference Programmer. I was in that role for 5 years and one of my main responsibilities was overseeing the agenda of the conferences. Slowly, talks were revolving more around emerging technologies – that was the ‘hot topic’ people really wanted to hear about. This sparked my curiosity and interest in cloud, big data and other trending technologies. I was particularly intrigued by the potential insights that could be unlocked by data.
What happened next? How did you choose to pursue that new interest?
I applied for a Master’s in Information Management and Business Technologies at Loughborough University. I was drawn to it because it was advertised as a hybrid course, blending both management and technical skills, which really matched my hopes at the time of getting a role as a consultant or business analyst.
What was it like searching for your first role in tech?
The pandemic arrived as I was finishing my Master’s and it was really tough. I couldn’t even get an interview. Organisations had started to downsize, and they were looking for people with a lot more experience than I had.
And then you discovered Digital Futures! What was it specifically that brought you to us?
Through the challenges I experienced with my job search, I realised that I needed more skills to unlock opportunities. Digital Futures provided the chance I needed, allowing me to upskill in data engineering alongside cloud engineering. The whole team at Digital Futures has been incredibly supportive, fostering a trustful environment. I appreciate the numerous opportunities they offered me to develop and refine my skills.
You completed your training and now you’re on placement – can you tell me a bit about your role?
I’m really enjoying it so far – it’s exceeded my expectations in a lot of ways, in other ways it’s really daunting! The learning curve is steep but that’s what makes it exciting. The team I’m a part of is really nice, very helpful and very flexible which I really appreciate. What I find particularly engaging is the connection between the business and technical side of things. Having the understanding of both is important – I didn’t realise how important this is until joining Digital Futures.
I’m currently working towards my BCS and PEGA certifications, which is a great opportunity to bag more qualifications outside of the Academy that are specific to my client placement.
You made the bold choice to change your career; do you think that was the right choice?
Absolutely! Despite having a Masters degree in the tech space, I would have floundered in a tech role without Digital Futures. Agile environments, the way tech teams operate – those things sat way outside of my skillset and understanding. I had never encountered anything like that before, so this is a huge career transition for me.
I’m so glad I decided to grow and consolidate my skills; Digital Futures has made the choice to change my career a reality. I’m developing and growing and the more I learn, the more I want to excel.