Every year we look forward to welcoming our latest batch of student developers to the team. But this year is a little different, with the GCD team working remotely it was a new on-boarding experience for everyone but with lots of video calls and special deliveries of hardware, the new starts are well and truly integrated into the team.
But not everyone was a brand new start, one of our previous student developers has returned to us as a Junior Developer! Welcome back, Chris.
Let’s get to know the latest recruits…
Chris – Junior Developer
Chris, previously a student developer at GCD returns after the completion of his Software Engineering degree at Queen’s University, Belfast, to take up the role of Junior Developer. We asked him why he wanted to return to GCD, “They’re a great bunch of people to work with, who care about their work, and are great banter!”
One of his favourite parts about being a developer is seeing everything come together towards the end of a project. But outside of work, Chris is a fan of almost any form of motorsport, and enjoys a bit of gaming. Simulation, racing, MMO or even some good old Minecraft!
We’ve welcomed two student software developers to our ranks, Michal and Aoibhin who has returned to us for more after her previous placement with us!
Michal – Student Software Developer
Michal only started two weeks ago but he’s already neck deep in an internal php Web App, as a developer he loves nothing more than being challenged by new problems, it keeps every day different.
He’s currently studying Computer Science at QUB and enjoy nothing more than a wander around art galleries and museums when he can – sadly that’s been put on hold thanks to COVID-19. Instead he continues to get outside and see the beauty of the outdoors in forests, beaches, the night sky etc. Besides that he also loves cooking and occasionally skateboarding! Dinner at Michal’s it is!
Interestingly, Michal loves houseplants and he’s planning on having a jungle in his room by the end of his placement, that should make for interesting video calls…
Aoibhin – Student Software Developer
Finally, a big welcome back to Aoibhin, who was with GCD for six months as a QA Intern in 2019 and has returned as a Student Software Developer in our Managed Services team.
When asked why she returned to GCD, Aoibhin said, “I absolutely loved my time at GCD, so when considering my next placement, I knew I would get hands-on experience at GCD, that I would be challenged every day. The culture of the company was important – I preferred the idea of a small company, where you get to know more than just your team members, but everyone as a whole. Plus, everyone is really supportive and always willing to lend a hand!“
Aoibhin is currently studying Computing and Information Technology (CIT) at QUB. Her favourite parts of being a developer include the ability to take an idea and building it into something useful, as well as the feeling of satisfaction when you’ve been struggling with something and finally the solution works!
Outside of developer life Aoibhin is a history fan, in particular Soviet history, (she completed a year of undergrad History with International Relations). She’s also an avid reader – largely sci-fi/fantasy/thriller books and loves going to gigs – at least once a month (although with COVID this hasn’t been happening)!
Interesting facts about Aoibhin…she’s never broken a bone and she doesn’t like watching tv shows/films without subtitles (even if they’re in English)!
Welcome to the team, we can’t wait to see what you do!
