Tom Duckett works in our Information Systems Team in our Bath, UK office. He joined the Cloud Direct family as part of his placement year and has been here ever since! We managed to ask Tom some questions about his time with Cloud Direct so far. Find out more about Toms journey from joining during his placement year to becoming a Junior Full Stack Developer.

What’s your role in Cloud Direct, and how long have you been here?

I am currently a Junior Full Stack Developer.

I joined Cloud Direct back in 2017 as a Junior Developer / Data Analyst for two years. I spent 15 months working full time, and another nine working part-time as I focused on completing my degree at the University of the West of England. Cloud Direct was always happy to support my studies and gave me the time I needed to complete my assignments and exams. Upon completing my Computer Science degree, I recently moved into a new role, Junior Full Stack Developer.

My role involves end-to-end development of our bespoke web applications, such as our PROVIDE portal.

What brought you to Cloud Direct, and how did you get here?

I found Cloud Direct through a friend who still currently works here. At the time I was applying for year-long placement opportunities as part of my degree. I was fortunate enough to get a placement year here and was offered a permanent job completing my placement alongside my degree.

Prior to this, I had no experience working in the industry. Both of my previous roles were small part-time jobs to get me by during school and the first couple of years of my degree.

I joined with only the knowledge of my first two years at university and, and the skills I picked up in my own time. I knew I had a passion for software development, and that was what pushed me to work at Cloud Direct alongside my degree.

What does your average day look like?

I work closely with Rob, our experienced Full Stack Developer. He’s currently teaching me everything I need to know to be successful in this role. He’s been a huge support to me as I’ve changed roles and made it a seamless transition.

Currently, my daily duties include maintaining our bespoke web applications, working on the end-to-end design and development of new features and enhancements, and fixing any problems that may occur.

What do you enjoy the most about your job and working for Cloud Direct?

I enjoy any new challenge that gets thrown my way. It allows me to learn new skills and adapt my current knowledge for any future tasks. This role allows me to work on both team and solo projects that put my current knowledge and skills to practise. I enjoy the team I work with – when things get tough, we provide each other with the support we need and manage to pull through.

Working for Cloud Direct is unlike any job I’ve previously had. They’ve provided me with the opportunities to really expand my learning and experiences.

What project have you worked on that you’re most proud of?

During the last two years, my team and I have successfully integrated several acquisitions into our business systems. I have been responsible for developing system enhancements and data import routines during each of these projects.

It takes a few months of development and preparation, and then only a day or two over the weekend to execute everything and transform our live environment into a system that provides all the functionality and data needed to continue supporting our newly acquired customers. Seeing the result at the end is very rewarding!

How has Cloud Direct supported your career?

Cloud Direct has allowed me to kick-start my career as a Developer with no previous experience and provided the resources and support I needed to progress to the role I’ve dreamed of.

Before going to university, I set myself the goal of becoming a Full Stack Developer – something I had thought would take a long time to achieve after graduating. However, since finishing my degree, Cloud Direct has given me the opportunity to start working my way into this role much sooner than I had ever expected. My manager knew this was a goal of mine and went out of his way to make it a reality.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I’m passionate about motorcycles and classic cars, and I’m currently attempting to restore a classic mini cooper in my spare time. I also enjoy listening to and playing music. A few years ago, I decided to teach myself how to play the guitar and have been learning new songs ever since.

To help my career, I often continue developing software outside of work and learning about new technologies and practises that may aid both my professional and personal projects.

Want to join the team?

We are always looking for the brightest and most curious minds to join our ever-growing team. If you think you have something to offer, or would like to see what job openings we currently have, then visit our careers page.