Tell us about your job.
I work within the IT team at B3Living. There are two teams that make up IT, one for business support and one for applications, my role is Senior Application Support Analyst, so I focus on the applications side of things.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a chef, a caterer to be precise. I still like to cook now, I have a group of 4 friends (we all work in IT) and we cater events on the side together. My friends and I have catered for some amazing events, and big names like the BBC. I really enjoy it as it’s completely different to what I do in my day job.
What’s your proudest work moment or biggest achievement so far?
Every moment is a proud moment for me, there’s nothing I can pick out as being a better moment than the other. The reason I think it’s important to be proud of every moment is because my role is not just about me, I’m part of a team, it’s all about the bigger picture and what we can achieve together to help the business.
What has been your hardest moment?
The hardest moment was probably leaving behind all the customers I’d built great relationships within my last job. I really like to help people, so I found the process of leaving everyone behind difficult.
What do you like doing outside of work?
I like to party whenever I get the chance, I have a group of close friends who I like to go out with, if I am not dancing at a club, it’s likely you’ll find me cooking or reading. I enjoy seeing other people happy and I love that when I cook it makes people feel good, plus in a way I find that I can be really creative with it.
Who has been the most important person in your career so far – and why?
I’m not sure if I can pick myself, but probably me. All the decisions I’ve made in my life have led me to where I am now, I’ve always been conscious about making decisions that benefit my life and are aligned with my values. Wherever I work, I always think, can I add something to this role, what can I bring to the table? I think making decisions that are beneficial is empowering, and I always encourage others to feel empowered too. I think it’s important I always stay true to myself and be authentically me.
If you could change one thing about the sector, what would it be?
I think more housing assosiations/landords should move away from the ‘we just provide housing’ mindset, it’s so much more than that. Houses are made up of individual people who have different experiences of life, and are part of a community. When building houses I think it's important to consider what can be done to help the community thrive, for example could they create more job opportunities for local people. A lot of landlords are seen as ‘rent collectors’ but I think it’s time we got rid of that stigma by making customers aware how we can support them live the best lives they possibly can. I think many people feel isolated in their homes, especially since the pandemic, and mental health issues are on the rise, I think now more than ever people need supportive communities and landlords can help create that.
What’s the best piece of work advice you’ve ever been given?
Don’t be afraid to say you don’t know something, a lot of people hold back from this because they think it will make people think they don’t know anything but if you speak up it’s likely someone will help you, you can learn a lot more this way. My mum always told me to express myself.