Greig Skivington: ARM graduate
Job: systems developer
Employer: ARM
Qualifications: MEng electronics and software engineering, Loughborough University
I’ve always wanted to work in IT. I started one computing degree, but swapped to a similar course that was supported by my current employer and focused on the skills it needed. I was sponsored by the company and worked for it every summer. I loved my second placement, in first-line support, and returned there each subsequent year.
Developing my role
I joined full time after graduating, initially in first-line support, then second-line support. I started designing tools to make colleagues’ tasks easier; this then became my full-time job. I’m currently responsible for developing and supporting custom web applications for internal use, and ensuring that employee data is synchronised across multiple systems. I mainly use JavaScript, HTML and a bit of SQL.
Designing a directory
My largest project was developing our ‘Org Chart’ company directory web tool. Employees can search for colleagues by many different fields, eg first name, last name, username, Skype name, job title, or office. It contains employee photos, maps of who sits where and line management details. I’m planning to expand it to include projects that people have worked on, their skills (eg programming languages), and interests outside work. The tool was a success, with high levels of uptake and very positive feedback.
I’ve also developed a web-based shipping form to make sending out packages from the office easier. Previously staff filled in a time-consuming paper form. The new tool auto-populates the sender’s details, allows previously used addresses or contents details to be reselected, and automatically contacts our third-party shipping supplier. A colleague e-mailed to say that it had saved her six hours a week, which was a great feeling.
Understanding users
I’ve had considerable training on technical matters and soft skills. The most useful was user interface training, which focused on how people use web pages and how to make yours user-friendly. I hadn’t quite appreciated that just because your web tool works well technically doesn’t mean it will make sense to users. I now trial my applications with both technical and non-technical staff in the development phase; very often an aspect I’d thought was obvious causes users to struggle, but a simple change solves the problem.
I work largely by myself, liaising with relevant colleagues as necessary. I also discuss requests for new applications or upgrades with my manager to decide which to prioritise. We consider how much time each request would take and what benefit it would bring.
Fitting in football
I work 37.5 hours a week and have chosen 9.30 am to 6.00 pm. In my current role I spend almost all my time in the office; however, in previous roles I travelled to company premises in mainland Europe, Asia and the US. Outside work I play five-a-side football several times a week, training and competing in a local league. I approached my company about sponsoring the team, which it agreed to, so we now all look very professional in the same strip – I think it intimidates the opposition!