Rich Crichton

Three years ago, I found myself in my final year of a maths degree at university not knowing what I wanted to do next. I had an interest in programming but very little experience outside of the MATLAB projects that were part of my coursework. Fortunately, I found in Softwire an employer that didn’t particularly care about that – the interviews were all about solving problems from first principles rather than reciting knowledge, and I made my way through the process and was very pleased to receive an offer at the end of it.

Since arriving at Softwire, I’ve worked on a number of different projects. I’ve been on large projects in teams of 15 or more and, at the other end of the spectrum, on a small 3-man, 4-week project. I even spent some time as a dedicated tester, which was a great chance to think about programming from an end-user point of view and helped me become a better programmer.

I really enjoy the challenging and varying nature of computer programming. I face a range of problems on a day-to-day basis, and Softwire has helped me learn how best to solve them. When I’m stuck, there’s always someone talented – and friendly – willing and able to help me out.

There are great opportunities for personal development here, with options to try something new always arising. I have been able to pick up lots of responsibility fairly quickly, handling customer interactions and taking ownership of various aspects of the projects I work on. The training and mentoring I’ve received is incredibly valuable, and there’s a great support network.

The social side is another great part of working at Softwire, with a whole range of activities organised on a regular basis. There’s definitely something for everyone here: board games evenings, trips to theme parks, a 5-a-side football team, live music evenings and so on. And in the summer, we’re up on Hampstead Heath playing volleyball most lunchtimes.

If you want the chance to be part of an amazing team, producing the highest quality work in a fun and relaxed environment, then Softwire is for you.