Project Manager/ Alarm Engineer | C.I Fire & Security
What does a typical day look like for you?
There is no ‘typical’ day with me, my role comes with many different angles dependent on the projects we are running, you could find me up a Cherry picker, in a cupboard, on my laptop programming, in my car on way to visit a site for work required or my phone in hand speaking to either, engineers, suppliers or clients. None of my workdays are ever the same and managing a team of six on ever changing projects mean there is also never a slow day.
How did you get your job? / What training, degree, education do you need?
I wanted to do something different as sitting at a desk was not for me and I like to be challenged and consistently learning and evolving. Due to the job being specialised a lot of it is learning on the job whilst drawing off the experience you have. The training never stops as electronics evolve yearly and a constant requirement to keep up with regulatory standards. I think if I named all the courses, I did towards this job I would over run the word count.
What are the most important skills needed for your role/job?
Being organised and able to communicate with a multitude of different personalities as well as skill and knowledge levels. Being able to adapt to changes that occur on jobs or even the wants and needs of clients.
Are there any future skills you will need to learn for your role?
My role requires constant training especially if we decide to use a new product line as we offer a range of products which provide different functionalities depending on what is needed. I think as in most industries, becoming more IT literate and stepping into coding and AI will have an impact on what I learn next. As systems become smarter, we as installers must keep up.
What is the best part of your job? / What motivates you in this role?
I would say the diversity and the unknown of every day, every project presents something different to the last, it keeps me on my toes and I learn something new about myself all the time, I would say the team I work with motivates me and challenges me to be a better version of myself and learn new skills everyday so that I can ensure they are also happy and thriving.
What advice would you give someone interested in a career in your profession?
Absolutely go for it as there needs to be more within the trade. Our industry offers a vast range of opportunities to grow my skill base that not many other industries can offer, from being dusty and dirty pulling in cables through a building site, to sitting drinking a coffee whilst to you program a 100 camera CCTV system on your laptop and everything in between. Overcoming challenges and forming relationships with clients can often be the most rewarding part of the job.
Tell us a fun fact…
I have done a solo parachute jump and two of the worlds highest bungy jumps and flown a plane.
