As our Network Engineer, Daniel Watts, transitions off Addooco’s trainee apprenticeship programme, we caught up with Danny to discuss his interesting background, how he became an apprentice and his time with Addooco so far.

Education

“I went to University in Sheffield and studied Economics, graduating in 2014. After travelling for a while, I got a job working in Operations in London and did some further studies in the form of an evening college class, which allowed me to take on some Bookkeeping and Accounting responsibilities at the company I was working for.”

Considered Future

“I then went travelling again for a year in 2019. I went to Ghana and got a job looking after the finances of a small charity but then had to return to England because of the Covid pandemic. I was unemployed for a few months during lockdown and had some time to think about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I decided I didn’t want to work in Operations or Finance any longer, it wasn’t motivating me and I was finding it too repetitive. I considered IT but was too scared to take the jump at the time, I thought I would be wasting my experience and the qualifications I’d already worked for. So I worked in Operations again for around a year and for a company in Sheffield. But this just reinforced my desire to do something different and take the leap in to IT.”

The Challenge

“After reviewing what was required to get into the IT industry, I decided an apprenticeship was the best way forward as it would allow me to learn, gain experience and earn an income at the same time. This was exactly what I was looking for at that stage. Given it was an apprenticeship, I did take a significant salary hit, but my reasoning was it would be easier to progress in an industry I had an interest in building a career, rather than something I didn’t enjoy doing. I knew it would be challenging initially to learn a new subject and start at the bottom again, but I was certain I would be on a better track for the rest of my career.”

The Right Decision

“I have been at Addooco for a year now and I haven’t looked back. I am certain I made the right decision. It has been hard work to learn a new subject, but I have plenty of support and when you are interested in a subject then learning about it doesn’t really feel like work. I have a clear path as to what my career might look like in the next 12 months and beyond, that is something that was missing from my previous career.”

Great Environment

“I am surrounded by people with a genuine interest in the subject and who enjoy helping each other which is a great environment to work in. It’s a relaxed atmosphere here and I feel like I’m working with friends rather than colleagues, which again was something missing from previous jobs.

I never thought I would do an apprenticeship and didn’t really think it would be for people of my age (31) but it has proved a great solution for me, particularly when I was looking to switch careers to something I had very little experience in. I would recommend Addooco and an apprenticeship to anyone who finds themselves in a similar position.”