From intern to senior data engineer
Meet Lucy, senior data engineer at Very.
A fast-paced start to life at Very
I joined Very in July 2017 as an intern on content development. This involved writing some of the front-end code which is used for the web pages on the website. This was a really fast-paced role and allowed me to learn a lot in a short space of time, as well as giving me invaluable business experience within such a large organisation.
Missing Very <3
When my internship finished, I returned to university to complete my degree (Software Development at University of Liverpool) but was always really eager to come back, as I’d loved working for Very so much. I was lucky enough to be able to return in September 2019, although this time in the data department; specifically within data engineering. I started out as an associate data engineer and have since progressed to a senior data engineer, learning so many new skills along the way.
Inspiring the next generation of girls
Being an intern gave me a chance to experience working for a large company, within tech, and gave me a taster of what work-life could be like post-university. In addition to our day jobs as interns, we had opportunities to progress on a more personal level too.
For example, I gave talks to large groups of people (something I never could have imagined doing before!), and was involved in sessions with Liverpool Girl Geeks (now InnovateHer) to inspire the next generation of girls to also pursue a career in tech. I saw first-hand just how many amazing women work within tech, and specifically within Very, and was honoured to be able to pass on my experience to hopefully inspire others.
An amazing support network, helping me to grow
Along the way I’ve been supported by some amazing people – managers, mentors, teammates and more. I’ve been pushed out of my comfort zone and this has truly enabled me to grow so much from the person I was back in 2017. I’d never have believed I could do the role I currently work in, and didn’t even know it existed when I was considering careers while at school.
It really does show just how much your life can change if you take that chance, go for the interview you don’t think you’ll get hired for, or even just believe in yourself that little bit more than you did the day before.
My advice?
For anyone starting out in their career, my biggest advice would be to take all the chances you can get – you never know just how great things could turn out.
