Wednesday 16th February 2022

My first six months at RPS Telecom; Jonathan Pearce

This month marks six months since I started at RPS Telecom as an Administrative Technician. Moving from the NHS to RPS Telecom was a big change, but turning one of my passions into a career was a great decision for me. 

Here’s how it all started…

How did I end up at RPS Telecom?

Before working at RPS Telecom, I worked in the NHS as a Ward Clerk. I started three months before Covid-19 hit and that was a real eye-opener. Seeing the Staff in the NHS through the pandemic continue to go above and beyond made me realise that this was so much more than a job to them. But for me I have always known that I didn’t want to make a career out of the medical field.

This realisation made me think hard about what I wanted, and given most of my free time was spent on computers, the decision came pretty easily. I looked into different careers within IT, and that’s when I discovered the Certificate route which gives you the theoretical grounding to keep progressing up the ladder.

I worked whilst studying for the certificate and told myself I’d wait until I passed the CompTIA A+ exams before I started looking for jobs. As soon as I passed the second exam, I started looking for entry-level networking jobs. As luck would have it, some jobs fitted exactly what I was looking for. I chose RPS because I felt like this would be a company where I could learn and grow amongst a really great team. 

 

What drew me to working at RPS?

The team was a big deciding factor. You can often be forgotten about in a larger company. At RPS Telecom, you can have an input on any topic and are listened to. 

Being a close-knit team allows me the opportunity to ask many questions, expanding on the theory I have learned and putting it into practice. It is an incredibly rare thing to be supported by patient peers who take the time to help you understand and grow. 

  

My first day at RPS Telecom

 The first day started as most do, I would imagine. I was shown around, introduced to the team and settled into my new responsibilities. I initially felt overwhelmed by the role as the team had fountains of knowledge, however, they were always happy to answer all of my questions and queries. It didn’t take long for the team to treat me like I had been there for a long time. There was no new job awkwardness, and everyone was very approachable and helpful, which they remain. 

 

What have I been up to for the past six months?

For the past six months, my role has been varied, from tech support on the phone and building rapport with the customers to going on-site to help with the physical installation of equipment. Alongside this, I have also been learning the different services we provide, what their purposes are, and how to configure them to best meet the client’s needs, coupled with getting to grips with the many systems that make RPS a great telecoms provider.

 

So, what have I learned?

It’s hard to quickly summarise what I have learned since starting my role with RPS Telecom, but here’s one big thing I have learned; the importance of practical knowledge. I have realised how varied and vast the world of networking is. Up until this role, I was learning from a book and online lectures. This was great for gaining a basic understanding of the fundamentals. However, it wasn’t until I started working for RPS Telecom that I started to understand the implementation of this knowledge and the multiple ways you can achieve the same result. 

Check out the rest of my wonderful team here!