Career stories

Name: Ralph-Joseph Tatt

Age: 23 

How did you hear about the Infinity Works (IW) Academy programme?

I found out about it at one of the grad fairs at my university when doing my masters. I came in at the last minute and spoke to Danielle and John James (JJ) as they were wrapping up.

What attracted you to apply for the IW Academy?

I’d originally planned on staying in academia and was going on to do a PhD. Danielle and JJ both seemed really nice, and the company didn’t seem as corporate as the other ones I’d spoken to. I also liked the idea of being able to work on different projects.

What were you doing at the time?

I had just started my Masters in Computer Science at Newcastle. I had originally done a mathematics BSc at Derby. 

What were your career ambitions (and how did IW fit into this)?

Part of my work for my undergrad had been published, and I really enjoyed the research side of things. I wanted to stay on and do a PhD in mathematics. However, parts of my masters were starting to put me off. The technology wasn’t as cutting edge as I was expecting it to be, and anything I could get a grant for didn’t look anywhere near as exciting as I wanted it to be. And of course, the money. That’s why I started heading to grad fairs. I didn’t really have a definite idea of what I wanted to do. What attracted me to Infinity Works was that I wouldn’t be stuck doing the same thing for years on end. 

What did you enjoy most about your time with the Academy?

The atmosphere, it was great fun and definitely a time I’ll cherish. I learnt more than I did in my masters about software engineering and most importantly I was being paid to do it! Can’t get better value for money than that.

What did you learn about becoming a successful consultant?

Doing the ‘Infinopoly’ project really helped prepare for working in a group project. 

How have you found your first few months as a consultant at Infinity Works?

It has been great, I think the Academy really helped prepare me for contributing value to a team. I was a bit anxious that when I went on to a real client that I’d be a total fish out of water, but I felt quite easy and was able to start contributing rather quickly.

What words of advice would you give to someone starting this year’s Academy?

Not to worry about ‘failing’.