Having studied Psychology at university, people are often surprised when I tell them I work in software development - it seems quite a radical sideways jump. And yet at Softwire this is far from unusual; the vast majority of our employees studied subjects other than Computer Science at university. As it says in our recruitment literature, Softwire are far more interested in the potential that applicants display for learning how to program than in their prior experience.
That was just one of the things that attracted me to Softwire when considering my career after graduation. The others may well have caught your attention too while you've been browsing these profiles - but I'll highlight my personal favourites anyway, just in case you've missed them.
Softwire is still relatively small, at around thirty people, which makes it a very exciting organisation to be part of. It naturally means that new employees make a real difference very early on in their careers, with plenty of opportunity to take on positions of responsibility and be a significant part of development teams (which typically consist of around 2-5 people). I also like the size because it's large enough to avoid feeling claustrophobic, but still small enough that I don't feel swamped or insignificant.
In addition, there’s a wide variety of work to fill the day since most of the non-technical tasks are carried out by employees on a part-time basis. This means lots of opportunities to get involved in non-development work, such as recruitment, technical support, organising morale events, or reorganising and updating our chill-out area (all of which I've been involved in). Personally, I really value the chance to vary my routine a bit from day to day.
We're also a very employee-focussed company, putting a lot of effort into our employees' happiness and their personal development. The work ethic is based on having employees that feel valued and supported by their company, and challenged by and interested in their work - and this is certainly what I've experienced. The directors are very open about company policy, and they always consult the employees about decisions which affect us all.
And a big part of Softwire's appeal is the social side. I've made some very good friends here at Softwire, and we're all encouraged to socialise together and enjoy each other's company away from our desks - be that at a lunch trip, the pub on Friday evening, or the annual company conference. Of course, the "good social atmosphere" card is an easy one for a company to play and it's impossible to prove one way or the other on a website. But I can honestly say that it's brilliant. You'll just have to take my word for it - or come and see for yourself!
Nick Golding
