It has been an exciting few weeks at GCD, from awards to a big announcement to welcoming new team members.
That’s right, the GCD family has grown once again, give a warm welcome to Jordan, who has joined our Support Team and Rebecca who has joined our Development Team!
Let’s get to know them a bit better…
Hi Rebecca!
What is your background/history/what did you study in software development?
Originally, I went to Queen’s and got my undergraduate degree in Maths. Once I finished that, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do as none of the typical “maths jobs” interested me, but I had some exposure to coding in the course and enjoyed it, so started looking into free online coding courses. Then I thought it was a good idea to take on another year of hell, I mean uni, when I saw that Queen’s offered a Masters in Software Development.
During the course I created a replica of the EasyJet database in phpMyAdmin, built an (almost) fully functional beauty e-commerce website and, for my dissertation, developed a physical set of musical stairs with a user interface to allow the sounds played to be changed.
How has your first few weeks been?
My first few weeks have been really good. Everyone I’ve met has been so nice and welcoming and made me feel very comfortable right away, and it has been great getting stuck into learning. Working full-time for the first time ever in my life is definitely taking some getting used to!
What is your favourite part about being a developer/learning to be a developer?
Seeing projects slowly but surely coming together and working – especially when you’ve been trying to fix a problem for aaaaaggeeesss and finally you find the fix that works.
What technology/language are you most excited to get working with?
All of them, I am just excited to learn new things. So far I’ve mainly used Java and Python, so it will be interesting to expand my coding knowledge even further.
What hobbies do you have?
Sounds boring, but not a lot, unless TV and shopping counts as hobbies. Very occasionally I like to bake and I do know how to play the flute, how often I do it though is another question.
Any interesting facts?
I once watched all 10 seasons of Friends 7 times in 1 year.
Hi Jordan!
What is your career history – how did you get to this point?
I have a degree in electrical and electronic engineering with 6 years experience within a busy engineering environment.
Upon finishing my degree I went straight out into the big bad world of work. My working career started within an operations team which involved the building and testing of electrical and electronic products. I soon found myself looking more of a challenge and luckily a new role came up within the same business within their support team.
The last few years I have been more exposed to the world of software due to the types of projects and procedures that I have been involved in. This certainly sparked an interest within me. I’m really excited to progress this interest further with my role at GCD and judging by the support so far, I’ve no doubt it will an exciting opportunity for me.
How has your first few weeks at GCD been?
I don’t think it could have been any better. Everyone has been really welcoming and supportive from day one. My first impression of the business is that it’s extremely professional without lacking the craic or social aspect. It’s certainly a place you want to come to work every day (or work from home).
What is your favourite part about being a support engineer?
My favourite part about being a support engineer is that it is very rewarding. When helping a customer out with a query you realise how much of an impact it can make to someone’s life or simply just their day. A lot of projects and applications are designed to make people’s lives easier so when things are broken or not quite working to the customers expectations, I get great satisfaction playing a part in resolving their problems.
What does a typical day look like for you?
There are never two days the same in the support team. We could be handling customer queries, installations, bug fixes and much more. Most of these will come through our support ticketing site where we will then respond as soon as possible. Customers can also contact us via email or phone whenever they require support.
What hobbies do you have?
As you can probably see from my photo I’m a very keen fly fisherman (boring I hear you say), but I’m always out fishing and if I’m on annual leave you’ll most likely find me by a lake or river. I’ve been fly fishing from I was six years old and haven’t looked back. Nothing better than standing outside in winter with temperatures of -4C. I also enjoy going to the gym to weight training/bodybuilding with very little (zero) cardio. I’ve been training on and off for approximately 10 years.
Any interesting facts?
- I have no brothers or sisters.
- I’m 100% going bald (FACT).
- Favourite beverage Vodka and Redbull followed closely by a Strawberry Daiquiri.
- Don’t like coffee, tea for me.
Welcome to the team Rebecca & Jordan!
