IT Support Assistant My background I passed my GCSEs, started sixth form and didn’t enjoy it so went straight into work. It has been work ever since then, apart from doing two part time I.T courses and a course in 3D art and sculpture! I am currently studying an NVQ. My first job was in medical market research and then I worked for the Ministry of Defence in HR. After that, I fell into restaurant and bar work.
Why Mercian? I started at Mercian as a temp, as a Housing Assistant, then reception duties and I was determined to stay at Mercian in any way, shape or form, I didn’t want to leave! I applied for an internal job in I.T and got the job, at the time I was studying my city and guilds I.T & web design. Mercian has ambitions in improving communities; you feel like you’re working for a company that is making a difference.
My job
My job is constantly evolving and I am always learning something, no matter how many years experience you have in IT you will never know it all because its always changing! We have different business partners within IT, for example; network support, people that deal with our software, programmers, we get to learn things from them. IT is definitely a career that I want to develop, now that I have a foot in the door. I love working in housing, you very much feel as though you are involved in society, something meaningful.
On a typical day I check data back ups and prepare back ups for the next day. Check email filters, if any viruses, malware or spyware has been picked up and get rid of them. Check what IT equipment has been booked out for the day. I am involved in developing our local Intranet, creating the site map and building a library of contents. When working on projects, this can involve liaising with external partners. Everyday is different and things crop up; it can be quite unpredictable, which is quite exciting in IT.
My advice to you…
You should be open minded, confident and be positive in your outlook. Mercian is a positive organisation with a can do attitude. To do my job you need a good sense of humour! You have to be able to handle complaints effectively from all levels. If you are new to housing, do some research on the internet and familiarise yourself with the sector.