Tell us a bit about your role?

Well I’m a BI Consultant, but what I’m doing day-to-day really depends on which client I’m working with and what their requirements are. It’s pretty varied, but a lot of it is a mixture between working on PowerBI and then more consultative engagements and admin and at other points there’s more database work.

It’s quite nice that I get to see all the different sides of data and it’s been helpful that it’s such a mix since i’m pretty new to Quorum, so I’ve learned a lot by getting to see different areas.

What has been your biggest achievements in your first 6 months?

Probably passing my 6-month probationary period!

But real biggest achievement? I actually spoke at a conference recently, Data Saturday. It was the first time i’d ever delivered a talk at something like that and I definitely owe it to Quorum for getting me involved. In particular, Rob and Tom in my team have been so supportive and help us keep up-to-date with where we should be submitting talks. It was a mixture of personal experience and technical content, so I was excited to be doing that and it was a lot of fun.

Any notable moments from your first 6 months?

There are a few things that spring to mind. Going to SQLBits down in Wales a few months ago was just amazing, I definitely didn’t expect anything like that. It was huge and was also DnD themed, so it was more wild than normal conferences!

Aside from that, the end of my first week in the company was Winterfest (Quorum’s Christmas party), and that was my first time meeting everyone. Pretty much the whole company was there the day of Winterfest and so I was thrown in the deep end with the socialising aspect, but it was great, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

How does Quorum differ from other companies you’ve worked for?

They just care a lot more and I feel like I can be myself. It’s very different from other companies where you’re micromanaged, or you feel you have to be a completely different person in work to who you are outside of work. If you’re having a bad day you can be honest, join a call and just say you’re having a bad day and everyone will be really kind and supportive.

Your time is also respected, there’s no one monitoring your every move, as long as you get your work done everyone trusts you, which is really refreshing.

Tell us a bit more about your team.

Oh, I love the data team. It’s a real eclectic mix of people, so it’s great, everyone is their own person and no one really minds that and so we all get on really well.

Without sounding too cliche, we really are friends as well as colleagues. We meet up outside of work, there’s always ongoing chess games (some of us are more toxically competitive than others, looking at you, James Frost!!), it just makes things a lot easier.

At the end of the day, if something is wrong, if you’re having a bad time, you can just say that, because you trust everyone and no one is going to be mean about it. We have a lot of mutual respect.