Building a career in Technology – Meet Josh!

Hi there! My name's Josh, and I've recently made the move into a career in tech and started my role as a solutions executive in the Pre-Sales function. Prior to joining the team, I worked in partner management and account management for 6 years. I enjoyed the roles and gained some invaluable experience, but I knew I wanted to explore a different avenue.

My Experience So Far

My experience in Telecommunications started 6 years ago, working for another Telco, in acquisition and account management. After three years working in purely sales roles, I decided to make the move into commercial sales and to try my hand in partner management. I was fortunate enough to join Vodafone at the start of 2020 as a desk-based BPM, and I worked my way into the strategic function in the three years I was in the role. I'll take a moment here to express how impressive Vodafone’s adaptability was during the start of 2020 and throughout the COVID pandemic. Having originally been office-based, Vodafone's ability to shift while still maintaining a strong team spirit and always putting employee wellbeing first cemented my view of Vodafone’s culture.

So Why Change?

My time in commercial sales helped me understand how much I loved the consultative aspects of my role. Using my knowledge, being creative, and constantly having to learn, gave me a genuine sense of purpose. It was only after seeing a role advertisement for a cyber security solutions specialist that I realized I could combine my interest in cyber and tech with my love of consultative selling by moving into presales.

How I Made It Happen

Once I knew I could combine what I loved about my current role with my interest in tech, there was no stopping me. I completed various qualifications, such as CompTIA Network+ and Security+, had regular calls with senior leaders within the channel, and sought to gain as much relevant experience in my current role as I could. What stands out to me is how supportive everyone at Vodafone was. For over a year, I had regular calls with senior leaders who undoubtedly had time constraints but always made the effort to help me. Managers in my existing role were equally supportive; they were flexible about studying and exams and helped me gain experience that would complement the move. Eventually, a role in the presales function became available, and I jumped at the opportunity.

Onwards and Upwards

Vodafone’s combination of size and their excellent culture of supporting development and progression, provide unique opportunities to employees who want to progress or pivot into different career paths. I will always be impressed and grateful for the support Vodafone gave me in exploring a different avenue.

Moving forward... I am focused on achieving in my current role, which provides fantastic exposure to a wide range of technical products. It covers IoT, networking, LAN, WAN, security, and many more product groups. It also gives me the chance to expose myself to more complex solutions by shadowing senior consultants. However, this doesn’t change my ambition to progress and hopefully develop into a cyber solutions role. One thing is certain, I’m excited about the future!