My graduate employment journey started just 3 months ago in the Hosting Management Centre (HMC) as part of the Macquarie Cloud Services Graduate Program.
After completing interviews with my team leader, manager, Head of Hosting Operations as well as our Group Executive, I was determined to take the first step of my career at Macquarie Cloud Services. The emphasis on helping me grow and progress within the company was a recurring theme throughout the recruitment process, and there was no doubt in my mind that I was placing myself in an environment that would accelerate my development both professionally and personally. While my role as a Network Engineer has already expanded my technical knowledge by an immeasurable amount, I have also found myself in a business that values me and my opinions.
My first week
I am based in Intellicentre 2 (IC2) at the moment, and walking into one of the world’s most certified data centres on my first day was exciting to say the least. From day one, I was overwhelmed by my surroundings – I explored the data centre with my manager Naveen and met many talented engineers from various teams who all gave me a warm welcome to Macquarie Cloud Services. I eventually settled at my desk in the HMC and was introduced to my teammates who unbeknownst to me would become the source of unwavering, continuous support day in day out. Since the HMC consists of recent or soon-to-be graduates with an interest in Networking, it didn’t take long for me to form the same bonds with my teammates that I had with my friends at university.
My second week.
After spending a few days absorbing information about the HMC, it was time to meet the rest of the company and introduce myself. Macquarie Telecom Group holds regular company meetings where new starters are introduced to the organisation by our (award-winning) CEO, David Tudehope. As a graduate in an engineering role, being introduced by the CEO in front of the whole company is not something I was expecting – needless to say, I instantly felt like a significant and valued member of the Macquarie Telecom Group family. Soon after the company introduction, I was scheduled for a professional on-brand photoshoot. When I received my photos a few days after the session, I had a feeling of being truly and wholly a part of the team.
Highlight – Company Induction
My most memorable moment so far is the company induction. All new starters go through a process in which they have a chance to meet and chat with our CEO as well as hear from all the executives about how passionate they are about what they do. I walked out of the induction feeling lucky that I have received an opportunity to be at a company that sees value and significance in each employee, and this trait is without a doubt one of the main forces behind the organisation’s continual success and will be for a long time to come.
Training to be an expert.
Fast forward 3 months, and I cannot believe how far I have come in this short period of time. Starting this role as a recent graduate who only had a theoretical understanding of the foundations of networking and computer science, I can proudly say that I have hit the ground running to achieve my goal. I came to Macquarie Cloud Services with the aim of learning as much as I can about anything I can, and the training I have had so far has brought all the theory to life – troubleshooting Cisco routers, adding policies on Fortinet firewalls and ensuring the successful completion of backups on Dell EMC’s Avamar technology are just some of the things I get involved in on a daily basis. I am currently working towards obtaining my CCNA certification and expect to complete this in the next few months. My desire to keep learning has been more than satisfied in this role where the learning will never ever stop.