Teyah Davis | Apprentice 3rd Year and Social Mobility School Lead | Accenture

My background in technology began with my Computer Science teacher at GCSE level. I remember being good at all my subjects, but not particularly enjoying any of them, not until my Computer Science teacher came along and ignited a passion within me for problem solving and working with computers. I took the initiative to develop that passion further by attending a Get into Tech course at Sky for 4 months during sixth form, where I had the chance to refine my web and app development skills through a real-life case study. I prepared to transition directly into a Software Engineering Degree Apprenticeship at KPMG, before deciding on taking a gap year after completing my A Levels in Maths, Physics and Spanish, and moving to Madrid, Spain, to work as an English Language teacher for students aged between 3 and 17. This was an unexpected change of path, but it speaks to my passion for working with children and young people, something I have carried with me throughout my entire life, and something that still feeds into my ‘why’ with respect to the work I currently do at Accenture. After coming back from Spain during Covid, I made the change to accepting a new offer from Accenture to begin on their Technology Degree Apprenticeship scheme in September 2020. From there, my career in technology really started to take off, as I quickly learned to balance university, a full-time job as an IT Consultant, and a plethora of Side of Desk activities. The degree I was working towards with the University of East London was a BSc in Digital and Technology Solutions, and I maintained a high first throughout the 3 years of my study there, culminating in having obtained a first overall in my degree upon completion. In terms of work, I have gained experience in a range of roles, starting with a Backend Developer and Tester on a Public Services account, moving on to a DevOps Engineer role on a large bank, before taking on the position of a Business Analyst at a private health insurance organisation, and then at a Telecommunications company. More recently, I have had experience as a Blockchain Developer, working internally on a research and development project which prioritised contributing to the Hyperledger Aries community and laying the groundwork for a significant project within Accenture. This then transitioned into a Backend Developer role, working on the skill set I am currently specialising in, utilising NodeJS, JavaScript, TypeScript, and AWS. My most recent role was also working as a Backend Developer on a project with the goal of making the diamond supply chain more transparent and ethical. My career has not just been limited to my technical development though, much of my time has been spent on side of desk activities, namely working with our internal Social Mobility Initiative, leading on numerous programs and partnerships, and making progress in the Accessibility space within wider Accenture also.