Building a career in tech: Oscar’s story at OryxAlign

There’s no single route into tech, and Oscar’s journey is a great example of that. Starting out through apprenticeships and hands-on learning, he’s built his career step-by-step. Now part of the OryxAlign team, Oscar shares what brought him here, what’s surprised him along the way and what working at OryxAlign is really like.

What type of roles did you do before OryxAlign?

I got into IT through apprenticeships. I did one at a health and beauty company, then worked at Currys selling laptops for a few months. After that, I did another apprenticeship at an MSP doing first-line and desktop support, and that’s where I met some of the people who I now work at OryxAlign with. 

What's your role at OryxAlign, and how would you describe what you do in one sentence? 

I am a Project Engineer Team Lead, so I lead a team of project engineers, mainly working on Microsoft, Azure, and VMware infrastructure projects for our clients as part of our professional services.

How long have you been with the company, and what initially attracted you to join? 

I’ve been here for about seven and a half years, and it was the people that drew me in. I already knew a few of the team, so I had a good sense of the culture before joining. It felt like somewhere you could grow, rather than sitting in the same role for years.

What's one thing that surprised you, in a good way, once you started working here?

Probably how willing everyone is to chip in and get things done. You can ask anyone here a question, and they’ll often go out of their way to help, show you how something works, or explain things.

What kind of progress or growth have you experienced during your time here, professionally or personally?

I started off as a first-line onsite engineer, and now I’ve got a team of engineers reporting into me, and so OryxAlign have taught me everything I know. Having a great mentor has played a huge part in that too, Adam’s been a senior engineer or manager to me for about nine years now, and I’ve learned so much from him. I’ve grown a lot technically, completed my exams and certifications and now my focus is much more on long-term thinking, leadership and team building.

What sparked your interest in working in the tech industry initially?

It’s a mix of the people and the work itself. I love my team and really enjoy supporting them, guiding them and helping them grow. At the same time, I like being at the forefront technically, working with new tools, new methods and new releases as they come out. It’s forward-thinking, and that keeps things exciting. 

How would you describe the company culture to someone considering joining?

The opportunity for growth is massive. There’s freedom to forge your own path, and quite some leeway in how you achieve things. That flexibility makes a big difference. On top of that, it’s a fun, vibrant culture with people from all different backgrounds, which makes it a welcoming place to work.

At OryxAlign, people are trusted to grow, supported to explore new challenges and encouraged to make a real impact. If you’re curious about building a career in tech where you can develop, lead and move forward with confidence, take a look at our current opportunities and see where OryxAlign could take you: https://www.oryxalign.com/careers