Myles Curry

Where did you graduate from? What type of degree do you have? When did you join us?

I graduated from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen with 1st Class Bsc (Hons) Computing for Internet & Multimedia. I joined CGI and went straight into an IT Developer role with Shell in Aberdeen.

Please give a brief overview of your career path and work experience to date ending with details of your current role.

Before CGI I was a Trainee Manager at Tesco and a full time student. In my current role I support and develop subsurface and wells (SSW) applications in Shell, Aberdeen. This role has two key aspects. Firstly manning the support channels such as phone line and email accounts for SSW and offering specialist support and solutions for the applications we support. Secondly, meeting with the client to discuss and deliver appropriate updates and enhancements to the SSW applications that support their needs. The technical skills I use regularly are C# / VB ASP.NET and PL/SQL.

The best thing about your current role is….

My colleagues are great. I can honestly say that I would not enjoy my role half as much if the people I work with were not as welcoming, helpful and similarly minded. We also have a great social environment outside of business hours which helps build a strong network and team.

The worst thing about your current role is….

Using out-of-date software. I often have to patch my client desktop to work with their out-of-date software because it would be too costly for them to upgrade. This can cause the desktop to crash or have undesired errors causing me major delays.

What do you think are the most important skills/strengths you need to make a success of what you do?

Resilience, confidence, excellent communication skills, enjoy problem solving, drive to always push for improvements (don’t settle for ok), programming experience.

What advice would you share with students considering choosing the same career, or is there one invaluable thing you have learned, gained or experienced to give your career a boost?

CGI is a great company looking for great talent. Make it clear from the start what your unique and saleable skills are and never turn down an opportunity even if it’s not something you thought you would enjoy doing.

Impart your words of wisdom to fellow students and graduates.

If you can’t find a bug in your software, you have not let the users test it yet.