An Apprentice’s Journey: Corbel employee reflects on his IT career so far

Corbel employee Leon Denny talks about his IT career so far – from apprentice to Technical Support Consultant.

Tell us a bit about what you enjoy doing outside of work?

Outside of work I enjoy visiting new places and going for long walks. I am a keen photographer and can often be seen out and about with my Nikon DSLR taking photos. One thing I should mention is my love of cake. I think it would be safe to say I would make a good judge at a cake baking contest. I’m the self-proclaimed ‘director of cake’ often bringing cake to work for my colleagues to enjoy.

When did you start in your first role at Corbel and what did you do?

I started at Corbel in April 2013 as an Apprentice IT Technician. I was lucky that at the time I joined we were preparing to kit out our first DR suite at Needham Market. The role of apprentice saw me undertake responsibility for first line support on the help desk, providing initial advice and troubleshooting to customers before escalating where necessary to my senior colleagues.

What is your current role at Corbel and what are the best bits about the role?

In my current role my job title is Technical Support Team Consultant – a bit of a mouthful! The role is extremely diverse, but in the main I am the leading figure on the help desk, coordinating the day to day operation, aiming to ensure all support tickets are dealt with in a swift and timely manner.

My role also sees me mentoring new recruits of the technical team, ensuring they know where things are and helping them to settle into their role. As an experienced Office 365 and Azure administrator I also form a key part in projects helping to ensure customers’ on-premises workloads are migrated in the best possible way, minimising downtime and impact to their day to day operation.

The best bits of the role are the fact that it is diverse, and no day is ever the same! But ultimately the best part for me is that I get to make a difference and help others. People that know me, know that I am a huge superman fan and in fact I am even known as “Super Leon” by my colleagues! It’s my belief that we can all be a superhero in our own way and this role allows me to fulfil that vision.

What has been your greatest achievement in your career to date?

I can’t possibly choose one achievement, so I will have to list my top three in no particular order…

Getting in to the IT profession – getting into the profession and staying there is no mean feat. Competition for places remains high and you must stay on top of your game with the continuous change in IT trends, which is one of the things that makes the profession so exciting and in demand.

Corbel Employee of the Month – Literally less than 5 months after joining Corbel I was nominated by my colleagues as the first ever Corbel Employee of the Month. This meant a lot to me, purely by the fact that my colleagues voted for the award.

Rising up the Microsoft ladder – Last year I undertook my first Microsoft qualification and whilst doing so accomplished a long-standing dream of mine to become Microsoft certified, gaining coveted recognition by Microsoft. Back in college I remember taking a look at the certifications available at the time and remember thinking “one day I’ll have one of those to my name” and I have 4 certifications to be exact and still growing!

What’s it like working at Corbel Day to Day?

As stated above, no day at Corbel is ever the same. We have lots of fun and its a great team to work with, which is important. If you don’t enjoy what you do, no matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to put in maximum effort. It’s important to have the right balance of work and play and at Corbel we have the right balance.

Any key/funny moments that you recall?

As I have mentioned we always have a laugh and the typical office banter, which you need. Admittedly, I am one of the jokers in the office, which I’d like to think brings a breath of fresh air to the office.

What is next for Leon?

IT trends are forever changing, and you must keep on top of things if you are to be successful. Now I’m at the forefront of Microsoft’s 365 technology and I aim to continue that and supplement with other cloud vendors. In addition, cyber security is very much a buzzword now and as a company we continuously evaluate ways in which we can make our customer’s infrastructures and data more secure. This area brings with it new challenges and I hope to be able to help Corbel increase its portfolio in the near future with services and solutions in that area.

Final Words

I would like to wrap this up by saying thank you to Corbel for taking a ‘punt’ on me in the early days and allowing me the freedom to do what I do and learn from a great team of people.  I can, with no hesitation, recommend the apprenticeship framework for people looking to get into the profession. As long as you have the passion, determination and commitment there is no limit to how far you can go and to what you can achieve.

Click here to find out more about working for Corbel