Any company will tell you that finding good people is hard. Which is why, when we find someone who is a great fit for Dootrix – in terms of skills, potential and attitude – we invest in them to ensure they have the challenges and opportunities to encourage them to stay with us. Jim Winstanley, who joined Dootrix in April 2021, explains how he’s been supported in expanding his skills to enable him to shape his career path.
I came to Dootrix from a support background; I had some experience with cloud computing, but not a crazy amount. I wanted to move away from the support desk environment. I was more of like a jack of all trades, and I wanted to find my niche. So, I started looking for a company solidly focused on cloud environments. That’s how I stumbled across Dootrix.
Straight off the bat I got to work with some really cool clients like Heathrow, which was really awesome but then after a year, a conversation was had where I explained that while I loved doing support, I wanted to focus more on engineering or project-based work, rather than being reactive and fixing other people’s problems.
The personal development has been unreal at Dootrix, as is the amount that I’ve grown. I had a support background and some experience with cloud computing, but not expert level knowledge. Dootrix allowed me to study at set times during work hours to study for certifications and follow a Microsoft Learning Path. I presented a few resources that I wanted to use and they were happy to finance them and the certification exams as well. They invested in me a lot, which was really refreshing and validating. I’m on a development path to become a fully-fledged DevOps Engineer in the next 12 months.
There’s a great social side at Dootrix I’m involved in organising. Last year about 10 of us did the three peaks [Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon]. We didn’t do the actual three peaks challenge, partially because that involves climbing all three in one day. We did one did a peak a day which was quite enough for some people.
Honestly, I feel really good about Dootrix. The company’s not particularly old, 10 or 12 years. There are people who have been there for a large chunk of that so, if you are thinking of joining a company, if you see things like that that’s a pretty good sign. I work under some really intelligent people that I feel I have no friction bouncing ideas off. So I’ve gained a lot of confidence working here. With previous employers I didn’t feel like I could just message the director on Slack, but in the time that I’ve been here I’ve established myself to a point where I feel like I could just message [directors] Rob or Kev or any of the upper management asking a question.
Dootrix will happily invest in you as much as you want to invest in yourself. When I’ve showed initiative where I want to grow, Dootrix has reciprocated. So, I’d say it’s a great place to learn and grow and do awesome work and, for a company of our size, we have some really cool clients.