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Career Heroes - Garry Tilburry

Job title

Senior Software Engineer

Employer

Liberty IT

Tell us more about you

I’m from Glengormley and I’m currently working as a Senior Software Engineer at Liberty IT. In my spare time I like running, going to the gym, reading, watching films, and listening to music.

What kind of work do you do?

As a Senior Software Engineer, my day consists of working on making coding updates for enhancements, or bug fixes, for the application that my team works in. The application we work in has been built primarily using the programming language Java.

I also attend meetings with my team to plan for future enhancements and review what we have delivered already. As a Senior Software Engineer, it’s also my responsibility to mentor and coach more junior members of the team.

Top 5 Skills & Attributes Needed for your job

Collaborative

Communicator

Critical Thinker & Problem Solver

Flexible & Adaptable

Innovative & Creative Thinker

How did you become a Senior Software Engineer?

In secondary school, I completed my GCSEs and A Levels before going to Queen’s University, where I graduated with a degree in Computer Science.

During my time at Queen’s, I was fortunate enough to receive a Bursary Scholarship from Liberty IT. This meant I had the opportunity to work for them for eight weeks after my first year at University, as well as taking part in an internship during my second and final year.

I thoroughly enjoyed both of my experiences working for Liberty IT, so I decided to join them full time after graduating from University, and I’ve been able to go through internal promotions to get to the role I’m in now.

What you do enjoy most about your job?

I like that the IT industry is ever-changing. There’s always something new to learn, new problems to solve, and new solutions for problems that have been around for a long time. I also enjoy that there’s very rarely two days where you’re doing the same thing. The solutions that Software Engineers deliver can help improve many processes, from mundane day-to-day tasks to wider initiatives for the community. This can help save time, money, and even lives.

If you could do-over, What would you do differently?

When I was doing my A Levels, the only computer-related subject that was available to me was ICT. However, as I progressed through my degree, I realised the subjects that proved to be more useful were the likes of Maths or Physics i.e. subjects that require logical thinking.

Basically, you don’t need to know everything about computers to be a Software Engineer. What you do need is the mindset to be able to solve problems, identify patterns, and understand rules. I’d have done more subjects related to problem solving, rather than just computers in general.

What advice would you give someone starting out on their career jouney today?

Read up on career profiles of individuals who work in the field you want to work in. Also, look up companies in the industry to see what skills they’re looking for in the people they hire; job adverts online are a good place to start.

Attend as many careers-related events as possible. This gives you the opportunity to meet people in industry and you can ask whatever questions you have.

You don’t need to know everything about computers to be a Software Engineer.