A Year in the Life of a Cevo Accelerator

The Cevo Accelerator Program was created after identifying a gap in the career market for people trying to take a side step into new areas of technology, or alternatively those who may have recently completed relevant studies, and currently have a small amount of practical experience – and are looking for something beyond an entry level, or unpaid internship.

As a result, the Accelerator Program offers full-time positions at Cevo within our consulting team. Accelerators get to work on client site, with experienced Cevon colleagues, learning the ropes hands-on to gain knowledge and experience whilst nurturing their own unique skill set.

One year on as a Cevo Accelerator, and what a ride it has been. Being an ‘accelerator’ means 12 months of growth, crazy opportunities, and throwing myself in the deep end at any given opportunity. It has also meant a year of changing my expectations, challenging myself and shaping the way I want to work and influence the technology community in Melbourne.

Over the last year I’ve worked as an AWS engineer, an iteration manager and a CI specialist. I’ve worked in start-ups through to large national organisations. I’ve been part of day-to-day delivery teams, and facilitated workshops with organisational leaders. I’ve also had the chance to collaborate with some of the best individuals I’ve ever worked with, and been supported by an amazing group of people.

Hanging out with some of the Cevo crew

This all sounds great right? And it has been, with some of the highlights including:

  • The support from my colleagues at Cevo – I’ve never come across such supportive people as those I’ve found here. Whether I am working with them on-site, or we are communicating over Slack, I know that help is never far away
  • The flat hierarchy – The ‘hive mind’ at Cevo means everyone is a valued member of the team and has something to contribute; as an accelerator, being brought in with this mentality is amazing. It makes you feel able to hit the ground running – because whilst you might not have a bunch of experience, you have skills that are just as important and respected as everyone else
  • The growth and stretch opportunities – I can’t think of anywhere else that would have given me the range of opportunities I’ve had, not only the actual consulting work, but also things like getting AWS certified, writing blogs and doing brownbags (presentations) at client sites.

And cake from a customer on your last day onsite is pretty cool too!

  • Learning lots of things very fast – This is a great opportunity, but when you’re in amongst it on a project it can be pretty tough sometimes trying to understand all the client context while also trying to up-skill in some areas. It’s important to remember in technology that it’s impossible to know everything, and focussing on what’s coming next is most important
  • Imposter syndrome – When you’re working with people who are very good at their jobs, and you’re just starting out, it can be pretty easy to feel like you’re not good enough or experienced enough to be there. This obviously isn’t true, and part of the journey is identifying how to manage this within yourself. I know plenty of people at Cevo, and others, who have made career changes in technology, that have also struggled with this. For me it became easier when I shared how I was feeling, and to then hear many people go through similar experiences – it made me feel completely normal!
  • Being able to ask for help – It’s important in a fast paced environment to seek assistance when needed, and speak up. It’s not always technical stuff, it can just as often be about the best approach to client problems, managing stakeholders etc – either way it’s equally as important.

Overall, this last year has been incredible and the best opportunity I’ve had in my career so far. Had Cevo not taken a chance (and had I not taken a leap into the unknown), I would not have had these experiences. There are so many options in the technology space for people who are hard-working, tenacious and ready to give anything a go.

Many organisations take the approach of more experience/skills = better fit for the job – sometimes this is true and makes total sense for certain business needs. But it excludes all the other skills that are important to be able to deliver value in an organisation. Soft skills such as communication, self-motivation, problem solving and many others are also fundamentally important for success in a career in technology – thankfully Cevo has recognised this and created the Accelerator Program for those of us ready to make the leap.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Last year Kirsty sat down with fellow accelerator Trystan to talk about their journey so far at Cevo and provide a bit more insight to the program

THINK YOU MIGHT BE OUR NEXT ACCELERATOR SUPERSTAR?

Interested in a consulting career? Got some tech chops or spent some time in the technology space, and have an interest in any of the following areas:

  • BA
  • Iteration Management
  • Testing/ QA
  • Development
  • DevOps
  • Software Engineering

but recognise you’d need to be supported & mentored on the job to further up-skill?

If so, the Cevo Accelerator journey might be perfect for you!

If you’d like to join one of Australia’s fastest growing tech companies, reach out to [Nathan Hatte](mailto: nathan.hatte@cevo.com.au) to have a chat about our accelerator opportunities.

“Cevo will not accept unsolicited resumes from recruitment agencies. Please do not submit or forward any resumes/ profiles to Cevo, nor to any Cevo personnel. Cevo will not pay any fees relating to unsolicited introductions.”

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