Natalia’s CGI story article
1. Name Natalia
2. Role Software Developer on one of the world leading Global IoT solutions for a Tier 1 Telco.
3. What does your role involve? Implementing solutions for networking components which are connected directly into Telco’s mobile network.
4. What does a typical day in your role look like? Once I log on, I spend the first 20 minutes going through emails and organising my priorities for the day. If any off-shore testers have contacted me about defects, then I deal with those first. Usually I pick up where I left off from the previous day and continue with any development of new changes whilst continually testing before progressing. If it’s a ‘quiet’ day then I get on top of the documentation of any changes, review records and training presentations.
5. What is the most interesting part of your role? I find it quite exciting to be working on such critical components. The quality and speed of these networking systems is of high importance due to the amount of network traffic that passes through, and it’s rewarding to be working on a project which impacts so many people globally!
6. What projects are you working on at the moment and what impact will they have? As we enter the IoT era, systems within the telecommunications sector that underpin the IoT Service need to be re-architected to accommodate for growth. There are currently two focus areas which implementation is currently addressing – driving efficiency and scalability to cater for the growing IoT platform. A lot of these challenges are being addressed by moving to the cloud and accommodating for more traffic and SIM’s.
7. What are you most excited about in relation to your role and future tech developments right now? It’s an exciting time for the networking and telecommunications sectors as 5G begins to roll out and the IoT platform becomes more prevalent. As more of our devices will be connected to the internet, the continuous exchange of data puts a strain on the network. With 5G’s capabilities promising less latency and larger geographical coverage, IoT can continue to expand without having to compromise on energy or speed.
8. How do you feel CGI has impacted your career to date? I feel that CGI has given me the confidence to take on challenging tasks and expand my skillset. Prior to joining, I never would have thought I was capable of developing these important, difficult systems. However, with support from my team and training from CGI I have achieved a lot, and I feel I have been given the boost to take on many opportunities throughout my career.
9. What is your favourite thing about working for GGI? It’s nice working for a company which values employees not settling in a singular role which employs a limited skillset, and continually encourages members to keep learning and expanding their horizons. Whether it’s within emerging developments, different industries within both business and technology, or working on their soft skills. The structure of being project-based means there are many opportunities to work on new projects, and I value the company ethos of pushing professional development.
10. Have you benefited from any training and development at CGI – If so what did you learn and how has it benefited you both professionally and personally? One of my passions is advocating social equality and activism regarding social issues, and so CGI’s promotion of mental health and development of interpersonal training is important to me. Recently I’ve been attending training regarding bias in the workplace, which I found eye opening to learn about the different, subconscious biases that affect us all on a daily basis. I am soon to be taking on training regarding the 5G technology and Spring Boot to boost my industry skillset and assist me with upcoming development.
11. Tell us why someone should consider a career at CGI As CGI is one of the biggest companies in developing IT solutions, there’s a vast range of interesting projects with have a global impact on different sectors. A career here means the opportunity to find something which means a lot to you and to contribute towards it. I find the prospect of working on a solution which people use every day exciting and I couldn’t be happier that CGI found me a project that I could excel in.