What degree did you study at university?
BEng Industrial Engineering from the University of Pretoria
What is your role at Sanlam?
I am a digital graduate in the Sanlam Data and Digital Academy
Can you tell us why you chose this career?
Tech and the digital space are the way the world is heading. Being able to capitalize on this trend and grow my skills in these spaces will put me ahead in the working world, and I feel this is where I will learn the most and be able to make my biggest difference.
What’s a typical day like in your job?
Being part of a graduate program means there is a lot of learning that goes on, like I mean a lot a lot. The majority of our time until now has been in a structured learning environment where we are taught a wide range of skills and concepts, and we are given the opportunity to use what we learn in the workplace by being rotated through different business units. In these rotations we interact and learn from SME’s in numerous fields on a daily basis. At this stage, every day is learning and training from 9-5..
What are the some of the highlights and challenges of your role?
The biggest challenge is to actually keep up with everything that is going on, because the pace goes so quickly and we take on so much on a daily basis. There have been a few highlights, the team members I’ve met are definitely one of the biggest highlights. Sanlam is really special in that regard. Another big highlight is being able to learn all that I have. 2 months ago, I had no idea how anything in the digital world worked, and now I’m developing apps and creating their whole pipeline from development to deployment.
How do you keep up to date with all the changes in your profession?
I am quite active on LinkedIn and Facebook, there is plenty information out there on the tech field. Even a simple “Google” every now and then doesn’t hurt.
What do you enjoy doing for fun outside of the office?
I enjoy anything outdoors. I love hiking and diving, I do those often since moving down to Cape Town. I also have a passion for education, so I do a lot of tutoring for high school and primary school students in my spare time after work.