Darren
Graduate IT and Business Change Programme
Find out what it's really like working here- in the words of our current graduates. Darren graduated in Business IT from Coventry University before joining our graduate IT scheme. Read more about his experience below.
What attracted you to join E.ON?
I was attracted by the development opportunities that E.ON offered. I had previously completed an industrial placement in a small management consultancy. The experience I gained by agreeing to manage a small area of the IT department helped me to realise that IT management was the direction I wanted my career to go in. I then decided that I would like to secure a place on an IT graduate scheme as it would be an excellent way of ensuring a structured development path, after all you can't be expected to manage a team unless you have a medium to build your technical and management skills.
E.ON offered this medium and enables colleagues to move around Business Units to gain experience in many areas, which sounded like the perfect way to learn about an industry I had never worked in. It was clear from the outset that E.ON is clearly committed to helping you achieve your goals and help you realise your potential.
Why did you choose our IT programme?
Although I've completed a modern apprenticeship in Mechanical Engineering and worked in that field for 6 years, I have always been around IT, as my dad has been an IT manager since I was 5. During one of my engineering roles I had to liaise closely with the company's IT department, which only stood to further my interest in IT. It was after this role I made the decision to leave employment and go to University to retrain in IT. For me it felt like a natural progression into an area I was familiar with and as we move further into the digital age the world is going to need IT specialists to help with this movement. It also helps that I'm a bit of a techie at heart!
What have you been doing since you joined?
Lots! So far I have been a strategy and architecture analyst, capacity planner, project manager, IT security specialist, application support analyst and I have just accepted a 12 month secondment to work as a systems analyst in our new nuclear venture in Gloucester.
Which of the projects you've worked on are you most proud of and why?
I have most enjoyed the work I did in our IT security team. At University I always loved the security modules and I then got the chance to put theory into practice and help a large organisation protect itself against electronic threats. I also got the chance to see the technical side of security as well, ISA servers and firewalls are not everyone's cup of tea! But having never had the opportunity at university to explore this, it was fascinating to see policies put into practice and the technologies we use as a company.
What does your current role involve?
I'm primarily responsible for the maintenance and support of the application portfolio within our Trading business, which operates on a 24/7 basis to ensure we maintain the highest availability levels. I also manage various operational projects for new systems which are being implemented to improve the way we function as an organisation.
What do you enjoy most and least about your job?
I've enjoyed the wide and varied roles I have carried out as each one has been very different and it has helped me to learn many new skills. The worst part is the travel as we have four main IT sites in the UK and if you want to get the most out of your scheme you need to move around them all to experience different cultures and businesses. That said as the work is so enjoyable the good points far outweigh the bad.
What training and support have you received since you joined E.ON?
I have had many external courses like PRINCE2 Practitioner and ITIL v3 Foundation, but I have also completed lots of soft skills training like managing teams, which I feel is just as important in today's IT workplace.
What do you need to succeed as an E.ON graduate?
As an E.ON graduate you need to be enthusiastic, ambitious and willing to work hard. If you are all of those things then E.ON recognises this and helps you to achieve your goals.
Do you feel that now is an exciting time to join E.ON and why?
Definitely! It's an exciting time at E.ON with many businesses to work for and a large re-organisation / transformation project going on in IT which means graduates will be making a big difference in these times of change and they could literally be involved in anything.
IT and Business Change
