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The Day Job

I've spent most of my career in IT, before it was even called IT.  I can turn my hand to most things techie, but gravitate primarily to software.  However, when I went to Switzerland to work at SICPA, I had never heard of 'security inks' beyond that there must be security inks for 'passports and stuff'. I learned fast about inks that help to prevent contraband, not just passport controls and I learned that if you had security inks, you needed hardware devices to 'read' them. So I turned my hand not just to inks but to the hardware that verified them.  I had a wonderful 7 years, travelling the world, mainly training government staff and our own people on the inks and devices.  Somewhere along the line, I took on ServiceNow and loved working with SaaS applications.
 

Training and Microsoft

But my main role in life has been system training and I can even remember 'life before Windows'. Back in the day, before 'everyone (thought) they knew Word', Microsoft had certified training courses for the main apps which involved me attending a minimum of 8 training courses including a 4 day Word support course.  I'm confident I can make Word sing, dance and even tell jokes.  Excel was my 'baby' and I was support certified in that too and then SharePoint came along. 

SharePoint

I've definitely had a love/hate relationship with SharePoint but we're best friends now.  It started in 2001 when I was given a link to a document library that was no more than a file dump and I HATED IT.  Wondered what Microsoft had inflicted on the world.  Then in Switzerland, I was appointed site owner for the new training site and was guided by 2 brilliant gurus as to how a site could... should be designed to work and that it was not a document dump.  I've been evangelic ever since about 'spreading the word'.  So, SharePoint and I have been together from its beginning.

Tech Writer

I’ve been writing in one guise or another for most of my career.  This includes content editor for the ITV Tech newsletter, where I was co-editor and sole writer for the monthly news.  In fact I went to Switzerland as a tech writer and moved back to training a couple of years later.

Knowledge Manager

My time in Switzerland was pivotal, as that is where I had the opportunity to work with the Knowledge Manager (as assistant KM) and took over when he left.  I enjoyed that role and when I took redundancy in November 2014, got the job of Knowledge Manager with King’s College London at the Service Centre in Newquay Cornwall.  I had come home.

I am currently contracting but would be open to a permanent job, especially if I could work a 4-day week.

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