Kimberley, currently a Delivery Manager within Admiral Tech recently sat on a panel at Cardiff University’s Careers and Employability event. Alongside Doctors and a range of business professionals, Kimberly shared her honest experience of her career.
‘’Coming from a small village in Cornwall, like many others, I didn’t know where to take my career. I knew I enjoyed Maths, so I thought I would start by giving university a whirl! I applied for a maths teaching course and was accepted to university, but after completing some work experience, I knew teaching wasn’t for me. Even at that early stage of my career, I thought I had already made a mistake. I went through clearing and found a regular maths course and begun at Portsmouth University. Not every choice I made, even in the early stages was a clear decision, how could it be when I didn’t know then what I wanted.’’
‘’In my final year, I was still not at the point where I knew exactly what I wanted to do, so I felt a graduate scheme could offer me some good experience, and a chance to explore my options. I then began my career enjoying my time as a Developer, but I knew I wanted to progress. I then moved into management which offered further challenges and variations.’’
‘’My goal was always to be a Development Manager, however, that was a big step at that point in my career, so instead, I was offered a steppingstone to prove myself in setting up an entire Testing department. This gave me great exposure and provided me with an opportunity to become the first female, and youngest Development Manager in another company. Of course, this was quite intimidating, joining largely male dominated committees, plus moving to London but when things seem scary at first, they simply become the norm very quickly.’’
It’s very rare for anyone to plan out each step in their career, but I see that as a good thing. I’ve learned what I want during my journey, and even though each step has been scary, I’ve settled into it, then you then look out for your next scary step."
‘’As a mum of twins balancing the world of work and life, Admiral have made this achievable and given me the flexibility to be successful. I work a 34-hour week which allows me time with my family and allows me to run a full area, being party to all relevant discussions. Our IT team all have laptops, allowing us all the facility to work from home. We measure productivity rather than hours with all our activities being able to take place remotely or on premise. Looking back to finding a last-minute university course in clearing, though all the opportunities and experiences to now, I do believe anyone can carve out a really successful career, even if you are not sure of your end goal when you begin.’’
Thank you to Cardiff University for inviting us to be part of a key event in supporting the STEM women of the future.
