Apadmi staff spotlight: role diversity in digital business
It’s not just coders that make up a strong development company – every digital business has dozens of varying skillsets that make up its team. Here, Apadmi shines a spotlight on a few of its staff members to highlight the breadth of roles needed to make a successful mobile technology company – and they didn’t all start out in the digital field.
Undergraduate Server Developer
Cameron Tittle joined Apadmi for his year in industry as part of his Computer Systems Engineering degree at the University of Manchester. He always knew he’d end up in software development, but working in a real-life environment has encouraged him to develop his problem-solving skills, pragmatic thinking and patience – developing soft skills is just as important to a tech career as any other.
“I know how to divide a situation into segments to see the bigger picture and make the end goal more reachable. I hope that the stereotype of a ‘dev’ will eventually die out and people will realise the amount of opportunities available within tech.
“At Apadmi, we don’t just have devs, we have business development managers, a communications team, along with sales and tech consultants who are equally as important. There truly is a job in tech for everyone.”
Digital Designer
Cathi Watt joined Apadmi as a Graduate Digital Designer after studying Interactive Media Design at Northumbria University. While her role relied initially on her imagination and an artistic flair, she quickly learnt that a knowledge of software, UX and UI were just as important to creating great visuals.
“My role doesn’t just rely on tech knowledge – it relies on my analytical, creative thinking and problem-solving skills too. The type of project may change, but the fundamentals of what makes a great user experience usually remain the same – I just have to adapt my skillset to new tech and software.
“At Apadmi, our team is composed of diverse and cultured individuals from a range of different background and perspectives. Everyone’s opinion and skillset is vital – more minds just means more perspectives and a better end result.”
Business Analyst
Cat Jones spent the first 7 years of her professional life as a fashion designer, before realising her passion for technology. She later moved into a Project Manager role and later went on to run her own digital agency specialising in mobile apps prior to joining Apadmi as a Business Analyst in 2017. She’s constantly drawing upon her past experiences working with a wide variety of different people and companies.
“It’s a huge misconception that you need to be technical to work in digital. I’m constantly required to think analytically, simplify complex problems and communicate with stakeholders from various backgrounds – particularly important when I’m defining the requirements needed for a project. I love my job as it feeds into my creative background, and I get the enjoyment from building these projects from start to finish.”
“One of the most important aspects of my role is that I’m required to present information in a way that stakeholders can consume easily, and I rely heavily on my background for that. Developers and designers are vital to any tech business, but the supporting roles can make all the difference.”
Test Engineer
Omais Javed, one of our test engineers, has been with Apadmi for just over a year. Responsible for testing applications and software for defects, he provides a critical role that often goes unseen – but it also requires a wealth of skills aside from software development.
“I’ve always enjoyed testing different applications, working within a team and collaborating on different ideas. I get to use my creative skills to design scenarios which cover both the positive and negative aspects of test cases – and it’s vital that I have a good attention to detail with the right organisational skills to help me and the team reach deadlines.
“The common myths that there’s a lack of career progression within the industry, and that a strictly technical background is needed to be successful, need to be shut down. Since I began my career, a wealth of opportunities has opened up with a range of new roles.”
Project Manager
One of our PM’s Cherie Henshaw worked as a Test Manager until she was given the opportunity to manage a global clients project – she took the opportunity, completed her Prince 2 qualifications, and is proof of how quickly things move in the tech industry!
“I’m responsible for critical decision-making, reporting, budgeting, monitoring timescales and ensuring that the product or service is delivered to the client. I have to stay adaptable – every project is different and brings its own set of challenges. For me, it’s about being a team player whilst communicating just as effectively between internal staff as with the customer.
“When I joined the industry, jobs were very limited, but the digital and technology sector is diversifying by the minute and working in this industry isn’t just about writing code. It’s always encouraging to not just see more women in this industry, but people from different ethnic backgrounds too. With more tech companies featuring in the ‘best places to work’ lists each year, people are becoming more interested and involved in our sector – not just the usual geeky stereotypes that everyone seems to think we are!”
Apadmi currently have several openings within their growing team – for more details head over to their careers page or give them a follow on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook for their latest updates.
