Meet Bristol graduate Izzie who now works at Bristol-based, independent software company Ghyston, as a Software Developer.
We caught up with Izzie to hear all about her journey from Chemistry student at the University of Bristol to where she is now:
“It’s a pretty well-worn path. Primary school, secondary school, A-levels, university, but what next?
I entered my final year at University of Bristol in 2019. I studied Chemistry as an integrated Master’s, so my final year was part taught, part research project. I enjoyed my research project, so my supervisor encouraged me to start a PhD.
Unfortunately, during the PhD I became very anxious and stressed and things didn’t feel right. I didn’t know what to do. I genuinely did love chemistry, and I’d been so sure a PhD was the next step for me. But eventually I realised a PhD just wasn’t it. After some difficult conversations with my supervisors, I decided to take some time out to think about what I wanted.
Exploring options
I needed to have a look at other options, so I looked on the Bristol Careers Service website for STEM grad roles. One caught my eye. It was a Software Development job at a company called Ghyston. I did some research and reached out to people I know who work in the industry. The more I heard the more I thought this could be a great fit for me, but I was unsure. My background wasn’t in software, and the industry is notoriously hard to get into for women. Depending on where you look, women only make up 10 to 30% percent of the workforce.
Connecting
I set up a call with someone in Ghyston’s HR, and she reassured me that they take people from a variety of backgrounds – they actively encourage people with different skill sets. She suggested I go for an internship role, as it offered me an opportunity to try out software development and see if it was right for me. Having that call reassured me. It was obvious that this company really care about giving people opportunities to get into tech.
Having formally finished my PhD on 30 December 2021, I started my internship on 5 Jan 2022. It was a whirlwind. I’ll be honest, the internship was challenging – I had a lot to learn. However, the people and culture at Ghyston made it manageable. Within two weeks I was working on a project. It was daunting first, but I had so much support and guidance that it didn’t feel overwhelming.
What I’ve learnt
I guess this is a very personal story, and I can’t say that anyone else is going to have the same experience as me. But what I do know, is that without starting those conversations with my supervisors and reaching out to Ghyston, I certainly wouldn’t be where I am now. If I had never taken the first step of sending in my application, I would never have known where I could have been.
Izzie.”
A bit about Ghyston, one of our sponsors of the Employer Showcase.
Working across all industry sectors, Ghyston use various technologies and cover every aspect of technical discovery, build, implementation and support. They put huge emphasis and value on both client and employee happiness.
Their dedication to creating a brilliant work environment is reflected in their recent awards; A 3 star accreditation from Best Companies – listing them as a ‘world class company to work for’, Business Services award at the Bristol Life awards, and Founder of The Year at the SPARKies.
Fun fact: the name Ghyston comes from a mythological character from Bristol folklore – the industrious giant who created the Avon Gorge!
If you want to find out more, you can meet members of the Ghyston team on day one of the Employer Showcase on Wednesday 11 October, don’t forget to book your place on mycareer.