My first year experience

Describe your First Year Experience in one or two words: Inclusive

I’d love to hear about your career journey. Can you talk about what led you here and your decision to join Thoughtworks?

A recruiter actively reached out and told me about Thoughtworks. 

In my personal life, equality has been something I have spent my time working towards and I’ve found a company where it’s key to their core/being.  It’s more than just words at Thoughtworks, you can actually see the impact and it played a large role in my decision to join. I had also seen the open source work that Thoughtworks has done and contributed to and thought it was too good to be true. I started the interview process and spoke to a number of brilliant and passionate people who spoke about tangible actions during their tenure at Thoughtworks and learned how many of them had been at Thoughtworks for over a decade. All of these factors contributed to me accepting a role at Thoughtworks. 

Ok take me back to your first day at Thoughtworks. Your first week. Your first month. How has your onboarding and First Year Experience differed from previous onboarding at other companies?

I started during the COVID-19 pandemic so I can't compare it to other onboarding; the world and processes were different. My computer and items arrived before my first day so I was ready to go when onboarding started. Everything took place over Zoom. There were plenty of breaks and the initial days were organized. Tasks were scheduled and it was clear what needed to be completed and by when. 

What has been your favorite part of your Thoughtworks career to date? Any milestones? “Ah-ha” moments? 

As a member of the North American Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partnership team, answering questions and up-skilling our consultants is something I am passionate about. Thoughtworks was able to put together and offer a training program to help Thoughtworkers study for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam at no cost to the consultant. I was part of the team offering office hours, answering questions, cheering on Thougthworkers, and giving them the confidence to take the exam. A number of Thoughtworkers thanked me for my help. This wasn't part of "my day job" but something I did and am proud of. The fact that Thoughtworks supported me in executing the idea is something that I think is unique. 

What advice would you give to someone who is starting their first day at Thoughtworks?

Network. You are encouraged to reach out and talk to as many Thoughtworkers as possible. I was leery that someone would accept an invite from a random co-worker and want to spend 30 minutes talking. Not only did people accept the invite, they shared their experience and offered advice on how to be successful and enjoy being at Thoughtworks. Now when I have a question or need assistance, I know I can reach out to anyone at Thoughtworks and get the help I need. 

In addition, our Learning & Development team offers great classes that have helped me with my work and personal life. I have not been disappointed and I recommend everyone take advantage of the classes. 

Anything else that you wanted to add?

Enjoy your time at Thoughtworks and be ready for change.