Employee Q&A: “I Applied for an Apprenticeship, but Walked Away With a Full-Time Job”

Here at Tisski, we pride ourselves on having a good eye for talent and earlier this year, we welcomed new Service Desk Administrator, Leyton Hutchinson-Strain, in a slightly unconventional way! We caught up with Leyton to talk about his hiring experience and find out how he’s settling into his new role.

Leyton, tell us a little bit about how you came to secure your role at Tisski?

I came across the advert for a Business Administration apprentice on the government’s dedicated apprenticeship website, so I thought I would apply. I had my first interview on a Wednesday, and by the Friday the apprenticeship organisation it was organised through came back and told me that Tisski actually felt I was better suited to a full-time position they had open – so here I am!

How did it feel to be offered a full-time role when you were in pursuit of an apprenticeship?

Like a dream come true! I never expected this or even thought it was possible at my age, considering the fact that I haven’t been to university. I’m so thankful for the chance I was given to prove myself and the knowledge I’ve worked hard to gain.

So, as a Service Desk Administrator, what does your day-to-day work life look like?

My daily tasks really vary, so it’s hard to predict what will happen within any given day, but on the most part I look after support 'tickets' raised - some internal and some external. To a certain degree, this has led to me focusing on hardware support from time to time – something I’ve self-taught myself over a number of years! I also look after other admin-focused bits and bobs, including the management of the administrative lifecycle of change, and assigning tickets to consultants and developers who sit within the wider support team.

What was your first impression of Tisski as an employer? What do you like most about working here?

To me, it was very obvious straight away how well Tisski treat their staff. I personally have been struggling for a long time with my mental health and depression, and my line manager has always been attentive, giving me advice, and is always there for me, which makes me feel well looked after as an employee. At Tisski, I know for a fact that if my workload is too much then I can get help, and someone will sit with me and work through my tasks to complete them. Likewise, if I have some free time in my working day, I will look what work others have and support them where I can.

Was a career in tech always the goal?

I’ve been interested in tech almost as long as I can remember. I had my first computer at six, and ever since then, I have experimented with multiple laptops and computers, taking them apart and reassembling them, swapping out their parts, operating systems and testing new software on each one.

All of the knowledge I have has been self-taught. I’ve dabbled in scripting and programming, creating bots online, managing websites, not to mention I’m basically the point of contact for all tech problems in my family, and friends of my family! I even found loopholes and flaws in my school security system when I was 14, and was appointed Audio-Visual Services Coordinator at 15 for my local church, before going on to become their website manager during my college days.

All of that being said, I guess you could say a career in tech was somewhat of a natural choice. I also studied IT at college, and am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to join an amazing company like Tisski and the chance to utilise my skills.

How about the future? What are your career aspirations?

From what I have heard, the usual path from someone in my position is to go on to consultancy, but I’m actually really keen to stay in administration. Managing systems, roles, users and licences, and helping people with their hardware and software problems is something I see myself pursuing, and I certainly hope to stay part of the Tisski team for a long while yet.

Do you have any advice for young people trying to open doors to the tech industry?

Never give up on what you want, as cringey as it may sound! I always said to myself and my friends that I wouldn’t go to university. I’ve always been more of a practical learner, so I will admit that school and college was a challenge. If you put enough effort into getting what you want, someone, one day, is bound to give you a shot, which will result in great things if you put your mind to it.