Meet our Academy Consultants – Mia Roscoe
Read how Mia found her career path through the Ten10 Academy and became one of our top Business Analysts
We started the Ten10 Academy to train people to join our Consultancy practice. Our trainers are real-world practitioners who pass their skills onto the next generation of technologists and our senior consultants support the Academy Consultants as they grow their skills. Take Mia for example, who we’ve supported and mentored through her transformation into one of our top Business Analysts.
Before the Academy
“I studied Psychology at the University of Bath. The course was great and I loved learning why people think and behave the way they do, but I didn’t think it was right for my long-term career. I was never one of those people who had a set career goal in mind and wanted to keep my options open. The course included a third-year placement which I spent in the Research & Development department of the BBC in Manchester.
“That was when I was introduced to the technology industry in a broad sense. A lot of my time was spent around people who were experienced coders and the placement left an impression on me. After I graduated and took a year out to travel, I looked for entry-level jobs that could use my skills but continue to grow my technical knowledge. That’s when I applied to the Ten10 Academy.”
Training at the Ten10 Academy
“My Academy was filled with people of different levels of knowledge and ability which put me at ease. Just as it was at university, some people knew what role they wanted to grow into and others, like me, were there to try things and see what opportunities would arise. When I applied, I didn’t really know anything about software testing or automation but the training was very well balanced, introducing concepts to build a solid foundation of knowledge. The trainers were incredibly helpful and always willing to answer questions or troubleshoot issues that came up in our training projects.
Mia’s Academy Training
Core training started: July-August 2018
Core training modules:
“After I finished the core training, I still didn’t feel wholly confident in my technical skills. My knowledge was solid although I was mindful that I didn’t have practical experience yet. I still wanted to keep a broad scope and continue to learn as I started my client placements. I was closer to discovering that career goal – that field I could sink my teeth into – but I wasn’t there just yet.”
After the Academy
“After the Academy, I was placed onto a team with Charlotte Hayes, who worked on many of our mobile testing projects. She was extremely helpful and being able to work on short-term projects with her support meant I was eased into the world of testing, rather than thrown into it headfirst. During a year and a half in her team, I learned how to write test cases and use testing tools like JIRA. I then worked on-site for different clients as a tester, working closely with their business analysts on different projects.
“Ten10 then put me forward for a Business Analyst role with one of their clients. I had worked with Business Analysts while part of Charlotte’s testing team so I was aware of their role in organisations and it appealed to me. I thought it was a natural fit for the skills I used in my Psychology degree – I’ve always been meticulous and like to dig deeper to understand something. In this role, I knew I could speak with a range of stakeholders and business users to define their business goals on a broad level. I could then record them, understand them, and map them to technical capabilities and transformation opportunities.
“Ryan Smith was managing the project as we were delivering RPA solutions for the client. I primarily worked in the Discovery phase, assessing what processes could be automated, completing the ‘As Is’ and ‘To Be’ analysis, and then rendering my information into process maps. Ryan helped me develop my technical knowledge while I worked with another Ten10 Business Analyst to complete our work for the client.
“Having people with years of experience who could support me as I continued to develop was invaluable. Whether it was Ryan, Charlotte, or one of my Academy trainers, I always had someone supporting me. I’m now four years into my career and know Business Analysis is the specialism I was looking for through the early part of my career. I can feel how much my confidence has grown and since we’ve added Business Analysis to our Academy specialist training, I support and mentor our newest Academy BAs after they are placed with clients.”
Additional Qualifications
- ISTQB Qualification: July 2018
- Professional Scrum Master (PSM I) Qualification: August 2019
- BCS Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis: October 2020
- BCS Practitioner Certificate in Requirements Engineering: April 2021
- BCS Practitioner Certificate in Business Analysis Practice: June 2021