A Month with Viva IT | James

Author: James
Friday, September 11 2015

It’s been a month since I started working at Viva IT, after finishing my degree in Software Development at DeMontfort University in Leicester. Here’s an insight into my first month at the company, and everything I’ve been getting up to.

“So you think you can code, eh? Great, here’s Symfony (et amis)!”

At the end of my first month with Viva IT, the difference between a student and a developer is very starkly focused!

Within weeks of graduating from my Software Development degree at DeMontfort University, I was immediately snapped up by Viva IT, and so, armed with 4 years of SoftDev (including a placement year), and several others of programming, off to work I went!

Set in the heart of vibrant Leicester, Viva IT’s approach to providing the best, cutting edge technology to its customers, starts with providing cutting edge facilities to its staff. From the moment I opened the door, my eyes were fixed on rows of shining iMacs, display monitors, consoles, and most importantly the very best solution to work coffee I have ever seen.

Only sleep pods and an office slide away from incurring Google’s jealousy, and with office views of the National Space Centre, you could nearly imagine being in a Midlands Silicon Plain, if one squints… upside down… and drunk.

Besides the coffee and tech (…what else is there?) the team only compounds the sensation: enthusiastic, creative, knowledgeable, and always ready for a tech debate. I was given a warm welcome, and jumped straight in, committing fixes from my first day.

The working life of Viva IT is vibrant and varied; only four weeks in and we have attended two meet-ups, a beer festival, and with PHPNW15, Symfony London, and a charity coffee morning all in the next few weeks, Viva IT takes community interaction seriously.

As can be expected, the only issues I’ve encountered are tech-related. Particularly the learning-curve involved in learning a brand new toolset and workflow, not to mention the actual work! But with practise, patience, a lot of time, and the constant guidance, pointers, and questioning of my team, things are looking a lot more clear.

All in all, I am extremely pleased and excited to be working for Viva IT. I’m looking forward to the challenges it’ll bring, and the lessons it’ll teach. All on the backdrop of sublime coffee, an excellent team, and the shadow of the National Space Centre.

The Viva IT Bake-Off: Week 4 The Viva IT Bake-Off: Week 5