In my previous blog article, I shared my volunteering experience. As I recently passed the two-year mark at Shine, I thought it would be a great time to reflect on my career journey and how I’ve arrived at where I am today.
When I was younger, my dream was to become a teacher—initially a primary school teacher. But as time went on, my passion for IT and business began to grow stronger. Right up until my GCSEs, I was set on becoming an IT teacher. I’ve always been driven by a desire to help others, which is likely why teaching appealed to me and why volunteering continues to play such a big role in my life.
What many people don’t know is that my first taste of business came through a venture with my dad. We started a mobile disco company called DiscoDemons, running parties across Bristol. I helped with everything from setting up equipment to managing the website. That experience sparked my interest in business and marketing and gave me a real sense of what it meant to build something from the ground up.
Unfortunately, when it came time to apply for Sixth Form, my grades didn’t meet the requirements for the courses I needed to pursue a teaching degree. I found myself at a crossroads, unsure of what to do next. I decided to continue with A Levels, choosing Business, Forensic Science, and Photography—an eclectic mix, I know! But after the first year, it became clear that this path wasn’t the right fit for me, either personally or professionally.
That’s when I began exploring other options and discovered the world of IT apprenticeships. It felt like the perfect blend of my interests and skills—and the rest, as they say, is history.
In February 2015, I officially launched my IT career with an apprenticeship at The Castle School in Thornbury. It was a fantastic opportunity to develop technical and interpersonal skills in a real-world environment. However, after a year, I faced another pivotal decision. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to choose between continuing my Level 4 apprenticeship with a new company or jumping straight into a second IT role using the skills I had gained.
I began reaching out to companies to see if they would support me in completing my apprenticeship, while also interviewing for IT support roles. In February 2016, a small IT company—then known as Bristol IT Company, later merging to become Assured Digital Technologies—took a chance on me. I spent 7.5 years there, progressing from an apprentice to a Technical Solutions Specialist. It was a period of immense growth, where I transitioned from support roles into consulting and architecture, expanding both my technical expertise and strategic thinking.
Then, in August 2023, a new chapter began. I was offered the role of Head of Technology at Shine, a childcare and coaching provider. The past two years have been incredibly rewarding. I’ve led exciting initiatives, including a major rollout of tablets to digitise paper-based processes, and I’ve had the privilege of helping to form a new tech company, TeamTech4.
Looking back, my journey has been anything but linear. From aspiring teacher to disco entrepreneur, from uncertain student to Head of Technology, every twist and turn has shaped who I am today. The setbacks taught me resilience, the opportunities taught me growth, and the people I’ve worked with have inspired me to keep pushing forward.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that careers don’t have to follow a straight path to be meaningful. Sometimes, the most rewarding journeys are the ones you never planned for.
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