Optima is pleased to announce another apprentice has been taken on. We thought we would let him introduce himself in his own words.
How it began
As I am part of the first generation to grow up surrounded by technology, growing up with video games were a big part of my life. Since I was about 9 years old video games dominated my evenings, moving from PS2 to PS3 and then eventually to PC gaming. With this addiction the inevitable would happen, PC issues would arise and due to the fact that PC guys don’t come cheap I was left to try and fix them myself and thus it began.
High school
I took ICT & Computing for my GCSE subjects, ICT mainly only dealing with using a computer and software on said computer and Computing was dealing with hardware, programming with a side of networking. Taking these subjects sealed the deal with what my ideal career would consist of.
Years after school
Unlike many of those I went to school with I took the risk of deciding to look for a job rather than proceed on with further education. The job search turned sour once you come to the realisation that employers are very sceptical of taking on people for semi-skilled Computer Technician roles without any formal qualifications past GCSE standard. As realisation set in I was preparing to enrol into a college. I applied for one last Job, a little Computer repair man in Redhill. Had an interview and 5 days later I had the Job.
My first job
My first job was a part-time Computer Technician, paid per job. I did this for just over a year, dealing with all sorts of issues in a domestic environment. I enjoyed it. Unfortunately, as my income relied on the work coming in, it was impossible to plan for the future and with the workload remaining stale no increase in work and a couple of bad months I was open to finding somewhere new with, preferably, a reliable salary which isn’t purely based on the quantity of work coming in.
Doing this allowed me to get real life experience, customer interaction etc.… This also allowed me to work towards getting my driver’s license, which I managed to pass the theory and practical first time, one of my finer achievements. This ultimately led me onto getting my first car which opened many more doors for me.
Finding Optima
I found Optima through a friend who was doing an Apprenticeship here. One night in a Skype call he mentioned that they may be seeking a Networking Apprentice, so with his help, I put my name forward. Shortly after I had an informal interview. Two months later I had a second interview and shortly after that I was offered the position which I happily accepted, now I am a Trainee Network Engineer.