A career as a Software Developer: An Insider's View

Get an insider’s view of working for Dorset Software. Meet Gerrard Jones, Software Developer.

Gerrard graduated from Oxford University in July 2004 after completing a four year MMath. He joined Dorset Software in September 2004 as a Trainee Software Developer.

Gez's Story

When I joined Dorset Software I didn’t have any experience in IT, I just recognised the opportunity that a career as a Software Developer could offer and I haven’t looked back since.

Mentored by a Team Leader, I initially undertook a comprehensive training programme. Immersed in learning a range of development tools and technologies, the Team Leader really pushed me hard I picked up everything very quickly. I learnt languages, such as C# and VB6, used for developing web and desktop applications. To complete the initial training I worked with a team on an internal project team, which helped me to gain confidence in programming in a safe environment.

My first client project was with Clarks, the UK footwear manufacturer. Working as part of their Application Development Team in Street, Somerset. I was tasked with integrating their Sales Force System (the application which supports the field sales team) with their SAP ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system. Using mainly XML, ASP and SQL Server I had to ensure the systems were closely integrated and automatically synchronised.

The project at Clarks, which lasted 8 months, was a gentle introduction to working at a client site, as quite a few other developers from Dorset Software were also based there. I quickly felt comfortable in the Clarks environment and joined in many of the social activities on offer.

In Summer 2005, when I returned to Dorset Software, I experienced the other side of the business by joining a project team working on a turnkey software development project for Waitrose. The project team comprised a Team Leader and a number of Analyst Programmers all based at the Poole offices developing an Enterprise Training Solution using ASP.NET. Working to strict deadlines to satisfy client requirements, the project team offered lots of support and mentoring. It was a great feeling when we finally finished the solution on time, to budget and as the Waitrose case study demonstrates exceeding the client’s expectations.

In preparation for my next project I started training in Java and then in December 2005 I went to work at Rubicon in London. Rubicon owns a host of High Street retail brands including Warehouse, Karen Millen, Oasis, Coast and the Shoe Studio. This was a really interesting project, as I worked in a non-technical environment, amongst the commercial team as the only IT person. The project involved updating and amending a retail system which had been previously developed by Dorset Software.

Whenever we work at a client site, all the mundane issues regarding travel and accommodation are looked after by the Admin Team and paid for by the company. Additionally, for each project we are briefed by a Dorset Software Senior Manager on the project, the expected duration, the location and to whom we will report at the client site. This means that Analyst Programmers really can focus on the job in hand.

After a great holiday to New Zealand, I went to work at RM, the major ICT supplier to schools and universities, I worked with a team on a great project developing one of the world’s largest intranets. For the project, known as Scottish Schools Digital Network (SSDN), we used the latest technologies including HTML, CSS, Java Script and Sharepoint to develop a network connecting all the schools in Scotland. This was a huge project and very different from what I had done before. 

The team included more than 100 people, including developers, testers and network engineers. Everyone in their team was amazingly high calibre and very technically-capable. RM is very much at the leading edge of development. Towards the end of the project I also had to mentor a new graduate.  This was fantastic experience, as to teach something to someone you really have to know the subject inside-out. Working with RM really has been the highlight of my career so far! I even participated in conference calls with Microsoft (as this is the largest installation of Sharepoint in the world) and with the Scottish Department of Education.

I’m now moving into a client facing role and training to become a Project Manager. I’ll soon be going out to client sites gathering requirements and getting involved in developing solutions. I’m already looking forward to this next stage!

Each project has brought new challenges and new working environments. I’ve met lots of like-minded graduates and not only do we get to work together and support each other but we also have lots of fun and a very active social life. I’m even about to go hot air ballooning on a team-building day organised by the company!

If you're interested in following a flexible, challenging career like Gez, and you meet our minimum academic requirements, we'd love to hear from you.  Simply follow our application process and we'll do the rest.

Return to our Graduate Recruitment Programme.