Meet our Academy Consultants – Rob Seakens
Read Rob’s journey through the Ten10 Academy and how he turned his personal interest in tech into his promising new career
The Ten10 Academy is an excellent opportunity for those who have a genuine interest in tech, even if you have never thought about it becoming a career before. Rob Seakens was a psychology student with a general liking for tech and found his career awakening through our Academy training.
Before the Academy
“I started the Academy right before I graduated with my psychology degree. I did my exams in May and started the Academy in the summer. I was just searching for a job to do after uni and wasn’t set on psychology, so I started to look at technology as it’s something I have a personal interest in. I hadn’t ever thought of a tech degree and did psychology as it was one of my A-levels, so just carried on. I came across the Academy and it seemed really interesting, so I applied to explore it a bit more.
“I only knew basic tech things from the consumer side, I was always the one my family went to for tech support of some kind, but in terms of technical knowledge, I didn’t have a lot of it; only a thing or two from computer science at school. However, I had no clue about how things work or what they do.
“When I thought about a tech job before the Academy, I just imagined lots of people in a room coding or the actual making of the computers; that’s all there really was. I hadn’t thought about how much there actually is.”
Training at the Ten10 Academy
“I thought the Academy training was excellent. The range of what they teach you, especially for someone like me with no background or experience in tech, the level they start on makes it really approachable. I also stayed in the Academy housing in Leeds, which meant I could really gel with the people I was working with. When we had interviews for clients we all went in together, and I felt more relaxed and comfortable with them as I knew them.”
Rob’s Academy Training
Core training: July 2022-August 2022
Core training modules:
- Introduction to the Academy – Overview of the Academy, assessment, and expectations
- Introduction to Agile – Agile manifesto, principles, and philosophy; a simulated practical Agile project
- Introduction to Enterprise IT – IT Architecture; CI; CD; Virtualisation; Cloud; Enterprise IT Roles
- Foundations of Web Technology – The Web (HTML, CSS, HTTP, protocols); APIs
- Data and Database Fundamentals – Data types; databases; relational databases; SQL; non-relational databases
- Development Fundamentals – Essential programming; version control; OO design principles; unit testing
- Foundations of Testing – Testing approaches, designs, and techniques; practical testing; performance engineering
- Foundations of Automation – Automated test techniques and approaches; Selenium WebDriver; intro to BDD
- DevOps – Living in the Pipeline – DevOps tooling; infrastructure automation; CI; CD; quality and reliability engineering
- Effective IT Professionals – Leadership; communication; self-awareness; self-development
Specialist training: Business Analysis; requirements elicitation; requirements documentation; presenting solutions
After the Academy
“When starting client work it felt daunting, as it was my first proper job, but I realised the team I was going into just wanted me to settle in and be comfortable. Once I started asking questions and going to meetings it made it easier and I felt I was becoming a good member of the team. There are also other people from Ten10 working there, and it’s nice knowing that if I need someone to speak to someone is there.
“I work with the sustainability and social value team at a global design, engineering and management consulting company. There’s lots of data work and data handling for infrastructure and design. I explore ways to decrease carbon levels on their projects and give social and economic benefits to the communities it impacts. For me, that is really valuable as something important to me when I’m working is knowing I’m making a difference. It’s good for me to know I’m saving trees or I’m helping charities.
“After the Academy, I feel a lot more confident from a professional perspective, as it was my first time out of education. I didn’t know what to expect, so the wellbeing support helps prepare you for anything you could expect. I feel really capable to do the things I need to do. I did a project management course with Prince2 to prepare myself for my client, and Ten10 paid for it and the textbook I needed. I have done the foundation exam and will be sitting the Practitioner exam soon. They’re really supportive and want you to make the most out of the position you’re going into.
“To anyone who is in a similar position to where I was and is considering something like the Academy, just give it a go. I had no idea what to expect going into it and I learned so much. There’s no reason you can’t do it, no base amount of knowledge you have to have; it is so approachable. You can go from barely switching on a computer to being an effective member of an IT team in no time. It is definitely worth a shot.”