National IT Professionals Day

This year we celebrate National IT Professionals Day by finding out a bit more about Jasmine, our wonderful IT Support Manager.

Tell us about yourself

I’m Jasmine, based in Reading, UK.  I moved here for University where I studied IT; one of the main reasons I chose Reading was due to its Tech Industry!  It is sometimes referred to as the Thames Valley on the M4 corridor – the UK’s answer to Silicon Valley!

I have about a gazillion hobbies – lockdown didn’t help in limiting these…  From sewing to bread making to computer games to snowboarding – it’s quite a range and I’m always up for trying something new!

I recently joined Snowplow as our IT Support Manager and I’m working on our IT roadmap to ensure we have the right tools, processes and security in place to make sure everyone can be as productive as possible while minimising any security risks.

What does an average day at Snowplow look like for you?

I’m not so sure there is such a thing as an average day at Snowplow!  It’s very varied, but that is what makes it interesting!  My aim is to help create the best experience for the team, whether that’s supporting with any IT issues, making the support processes easier to follow or onboarding new recruits, I’ll be trying to make sure it’s as seamless as possible so that Snowplowers can get on with what they need to do!  

Snowplow is growing fast and while this is exciting, it means we have to constantly look at ways to improve our processes/tools, make sure we’re up to date with the latest security threats and ensure we’re being compliant with our internal processes.  I’m currently working on a few different initiatives alongside support to improve our ways of working, rolling out some new tools to help us be productive and secure!

How did you get into IT support?

I’ve always had an interest in technology and decided to study IT at the University of Reading where I got the chance to do a placement at a large multinational FMCG company.  There, I started off supporting the internal systems, from application admin to supporting critical out-of-hours incidents. I moved on to managing the teams which supported the internal applications and had the opportunity to work with people from around the globe.  Throughout my time there the IT landscape changed a lot and 10 years later after learning a lot and working with some great people, I was ready for my next challenge.  I chose to join Snowplow as it gave me the opportunity to work for a smaller company where I can really feel like I’m making a difference. I love the variety in IT support, the fact no one day is ever the same, improving processes and helping people really engages me!

What do you think is the biggest contributing factor to the lack of diversity in tech and what can be done about it?

I think the biggest factor is stereotyping.  Growing up – the stereotype of someone in IT was seen to be male, nerdy and sat behind a computer 24/7 coding – yes this is sometimes the case (and there is nothing wrong with that!) but there are actually a lot of other types of people who work in the technology sector and you don’t necessarily have to be fluent in coding in order to work within the industry.  

Raising awareness is key, having support groups to help support diversity within companies and just getting the message out there that anyone can work in IT if they want to and put their mind to it!  Community groups can learn from and support each other within the company.  I also think investing in growing future talent pipelines and STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programmes are a great way to spread the message.

What advice would you give to anybody looking to get into IT support?

If you enjoy helping people, problem-solving, and/or are just generally interested in technology, then IT Support may be right for you!  My advice would be to always be learning and be ready to adapt (Technology is always changing!).  

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Interested in a role at Snowplow? Come and chat with us!

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