Nearly three years ago, I joined Venn as a Support Engineer. Since then, my role has evolved in ways I couldn't have predicted. From supporting customers and learning the intricacies of our platform to engineering new solutions and, most recently, joining the leadership team.
It's been a journey built around curiosity, trust, continuous learning and a willingness to take on problems that don't always have an obvious answer.
Starting Out in Support
Working in support gave me one of the best possible introductions to the business.
Being close to the day-to-day use of our platform meant learning not only how it worked, but how our customers interacted with it, where problems occurred and how the processes behind the scenes connected.
As my knowledge grew, I gradually became more involved with the platform team. I found myself increasingly interested in what sat behind the problems we were solving: Why did something work the way it did? Could we improve it? Was there a better way of approaching it altogether?
That curiosity became an important part of how my role developed.
Investing in My Development as a Software Engineer
As I moved closer to the technical side of the platform, I wanted to develop the engineering knowledge to match the practical experience I was gaining.
That led me to begin a degree apprenticeship in Software Engineering alongside my role at Venn.
Combining academic study with real-world software engineering has given me an opportunity to apply what I'm learning directly to genuine business challenges. At the same time, my experience at Venn gives context to what I'm studying, whether that's software development, system design, problem-solving or understanding how technology supports wider business objectives.
My progression hasn't simply been about learning to write better software. It's increasingly been about understanding how technology, people, processes and commercial decisions fit together.
Taking More Ownership
Over time, I became more involved in the business's day-to-day operations.
Whenever we encountered a problem, my instinct was usually to dig into it. Sometimes that meant investigating a technical issue. Other times it meant researching a new opportunity, questioning an existing process or trying to understand how we could do something more effectively.
Importantly, that curiosity was encouraged rather than restricted.
Venn, and particularly Brian, gave me the freedom to investigate ideas, challenge existing approaches and take ownership of solving problems. As that trust grew, so did my responsibilities.
I began contributing to increasingly impactful decisions and looking beyond the immediate technical problem towards the wider question: What is the best outcome for the business?
That shift in perspective has probably been one of the biggest changes in my career so far.
Moving from Support into Product Engineering
Eventually, we reached a point where splitting my time between support and engineering was becoming increasingly difficult.
Hiring a Junior Support Engineer became an important milestone. It gave us additional strength within the support function while allowing me to step away from much of its day-to-day operation and focus more heavily on product engineering.
That meant dedicating more of my time to improving the Venn platform, investigating new opportunities and contributing to some of the larger decisions affecting the company.
Instead of primarily responding to problems as they appeared, I could spend more time asking what we should build next, what we could improve and where technology could create the greatest impact.
It was another significant step in my development — and ultimately helped lead to the opportunity I have today.
Joining the Leadership Team
Most recently, I was offered the opportunity to join Venn's leadership team.
For me, it's both an exciting milestone and the beginning of a completely new learning curve.
I'm now able to contribute directly to decisions that shape the direction of the company and the products we're building for the future. My work can range from researching potential new products and improving internal processes to strengthening our teams and exploring how we can operate more effectively as a business.
It's a role that comes with a great deal of trust and responsibility.
I'm given the space to research problems properly, manage my own work and turn ideas into meaningful changes. At the same time, I'm constantly encountering new situations that challenge me to develop skills beyond software engineering alone.
That's one of the things I'm enjoying most.
Software Engineering Is Only Part of the Job
One of the most interesting lessons from the past three years is how much my understanding of engineering has changed.
Technology doesn't exist in isolation.
Building a great platform requires understanding the people using it, the team building it and the business behind it. A technically impressive solution isn't necessarily the right solution if it doesn't solve the right problem.
Moving from support into product engineering and now leadership has given me the opportunity to see those different perspectives.
My experience in support still influences how I think about products. My software engineering studies influence how I approach technical problems. And my growing involvement in leadership is teaching me to consider the wider impact of the decisions we make.
Each stage has built on the one before it.
Creating Opportunities for People to Grow
Something I particularly value about my journey at Venn is that it hasn't followed a rigid career path.
My responsibilities grew because I was encouraged to explore areas that interested me, take initiative and demonstrate what I could contribute.
When I wanted to understand something, I was given room to investigate it. When I identified a problem, I was trusted to try to solve it. And as I demonstrated that I could take ownership of increasingly important work, I was given opportunities to do more.
That environment has accelerated my development enormously.
It has shown me how valuable it can be for businesses to give people the space to be curious. Sometimes the person answering today's support ticket could also be the person helping design tomorrow's product — they just need the opportunity to develop.
Looking Ahead
Joining the leadership team isn't the end goal. If anything, it feels like the start of the next stage.
There is still an enormous amount for me to learn, and that's exactly what makes the opportunity exciting.
I get to continue developing as a software engineer while learning more about product development, strategy, leadership, team building and the realities of growing a technology business.
Most importantly, I now have the opportunity to help shape Venn's future rather than simply watch it develop.
Going from Support Engineer to the leadership team in under three years is something I'm incredibly proud of. But what excites me most isn't the change in title — it's the opportunity that comes with it.
The opportunity to keep learning, solve bigger problems, build better products and make changes that have a genuine impact on the business.
And I'm looking forward to seeing where that takes us next.
