My life at Hymans - what I love about being a systems analyst

What made you join Hymans?

I worked in retail for 19 years before retraining as a software developer, and then joining Hymans last year. I was really impressed when doing my research, as it was important to me to work for a Company whose values and principles aligned with my own. I do a lot of voluntary work in my spare time, and I was pleased to see that Hymans would support that.

I also really liked the sound of the Hymans Robertson Charitable Foundation.

What is your role?

I’m a Systems Analyst in TPA.

What does a typical day look like?

A typical day consists of checking what tickets have been raised, having a ‘stand-up’ meeting with the team, where we discuss what we did the previous day, and what we’ll be working on that day, and then working our way through the tickets. We mostly use SQL – a programming language used for accessing and manipulating databases.

What has been your biggest challenge at Hymans?

Not coming from a pensions background, it’s an ongoing challenge learning the terminology and piecing together what various processes are doing and how they should be working.

Another challenge was having to adapt quickly to working from home during lockdown. It’s not something I’ve ever done, so wasn’t really set up for it – technically or mentally! I really enjoy being in the office and having my team around me, so to suddenly have that taken away indefinitely was difficult. But we’ve adapted really well – we already have daily meetings, but we also check in on each other frequently to make sure we’re all doing ok.

What has impressed you most about being at Hymans?

From day one, I felt accepted as a part of the team. I started as a trainee, but have always been treated as an equal. As this was my first tech role after changing career, this meant everything! Anyone starting a new job is going to be a bit nervous, but to be starting an entirely new career - there’s always a fear of not being accepted and feeling like a fraud. There was never any of that here. The TPA Dev team is full of fantastic, helpful, supportive, knowledgeable people, and it’s an absolute privilege to be a part of it! I can’t wait to be reunited with them all after lockdown!