• Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

North East Connected

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Former Newcastle graduate returns to senior position at Scott Logic

A bespoke software development consultancy has welcomed one of its former graduates back to its senior development team once again.

Jan Akerman, 25, who had already worked his way up to the rank of senior developer when he left Scott Logic to travel South America last year, has now returned to the firm as part of the expansion of its newest office in London.

Jan, who grew up in Leicestershire, explained: “I’ve always had an interest in technology, so a degree in Computer Science was a natural choice for me. During my time at Newcastle University, Scott Logic played an active role within the School of Computer Science, so I already had the company on my radar. I received an award during my second year, which was sponsored by Scott Logic, and as part of the prize I was invited in to learn a little more. It soon became clear that it was a great match – the company culture, and the sectors Scott Logic works in were of real interest to me.”

In 2012, Jan joined the company’s graduate programme, based at its St James’ Gate office in Newcastle, and progressed quickly. He continued: “I was given the opportunity to put the theory of my degree into practice, working on several internal projects before joining the enterprise products division, shinobicontrols, to develop some essential features for an iOS charting library, and providing tailored customer support.”

After expressing an interest in moving on to the consultancy side of the business, Jan was given the opportunity to train further in HTML5 and work hands on, using new technologies to rewrite an obsolete web application for a client. Jan said: “It was a fast-paced change, but I was excited to be thrown into the deep end and given responsibility in a client-facing role so quickly.”

After four years at Scott Logic, Jan decided to take a year out of work and travel through Latin America. He said: “I travelled mostly over land with my partner Tessa from Mexico to Bolivia, soaking up the culture and learning a little Spanish. It was a once in a lifetime experience and after nine months I decided that a relocation to London would be an exciting move, as well as putting me much closer to family and friends. I’d kept in contact with a lot of colleagues from Scott Logic, and had heard about its fast-growing London office. It was a clear decision. I’ve been back a week now and there’s already some really exciting things in the pipeline.

“One of the best things about Scott Logic for me is working alongside so many talented developers. Everyone in the office is so approachable, and there’s such a close company culture. It really is a unique place to work. It was a hard decision to leave Scott Logic – but a very easy one to return.”

Scott Logic’s Head of Development Rob Newsome added: “I’ve followed Jan’s career with interest since he joined us as a graduate, and he made a big contribution in Newcastle. I was delighted when he got in touch to say he was planning on relocating to London after his travels and was interested in being part of our fast-expanding London team. It’s great that our spread of locations gives people more options to remain with us as their personal plans change.”

For more information on the roles Scott Logic has available in London and beyond, visit scottlogic.com/careers/vacancies. And for more information on its clients and services, visit scottlogic.com.