As a preferred employer, Dynamic Technologies group company CloudSmiths takes employee satisfaction seriously. Lead Software Engineer Rogan Matthew Endres recently made the move from South Africa to the UK, and he credits the company with making the mammoth task of emigration a much less daunting task. Being a global company means that CloudSmiths are able to support employees who want to make the move to commercially significant cities but remain with an employer that they trust and enjoy working for.
Rogan joined CloudSmiths – which has Africa’s largest team of Salesforce and Google Cloud experts - in late 2019 and found himself impressed and somewhat surprised by the fresh and stimulating company culture he encountered. Being surrounded by so many smart techies with diverse industry backgrounds was a humbling and exciting experience for him. He says, "Every day would bring something new, from brainstorming a new feature to sense checking and problem solving with team members, or even an informal chat with fellow colleagues around the coffee machine, arcade box, or rooftop bar where I invariably learnt something new."
The move became somewhat of an organic extension to his current project as the client HQ is based in London, with many of the client’s internal project staff being UK-based. "Knowing some work colleagues who had relocated, I inquired about the personal and commercial opportunities to transfer to our UK entity. I was already invested in a great company and felt like I was a valued member of the CloudSmiths family."
Even with the help and support he received from CloudSmiths, the move itself was a whirlwind. However, he took it in his stride as a senior member of the CloudSmiths team and says the experience so far has been a positive one. The ease of travel within the UK the proximity of European destinations, and exploring the city, the parks, and the nearby woods together with his wife are all stand out experiences.
Of his work set up Rogan says, "I am still primarily remote first, having set up my home office with all the bells and whistles I need to feel productive and comfortable in my day-to-day work. I do an occasional trip into London, once or twice a month, to attend in-person client meetings, technical workshops or just to catch up with UK colleagues for a pint or two at the pub."
From providing the correct and supporting documentation through to paying upfront for NHS fees for the duration of the visa, finding accommodation, setting up a bank account, and adjusting to a different way of life, there was plenty to sort out. For Rogan, however, it was a decision that has impacted both his personal and professional life.
He says, "I think it is important to break out of your comfort zone and explore new places. One can’t really experience the real culture of a country on a short holiday. You need to give it time and energy in order to feel the full effect. Professionally it has been a great opportunity to expand my CloudSmiths experience abroad and get further exposure to a growing international tech industry for the benefit of our clients."
While moving up in the business is definitely something I am striving towards," he says, "my intentions are to remain in the technical domain. I really enjoy being hands on with coding and building software as that is where my passion for programming is rewarded. I am always eager to continue learning new skills, programming languages, frameworks, tech stacks and so on. I would also like to further my skillset in Cloud certifications in Software Architecture."
"Missing family, friends and the familiar things back home have been a difficult aspect to overcome for us. But they say nothing worthwhile comes easily. This has been an amazing adventure and a positive life changing experience. CloudSmiths has opened up many doors for opportunity and change."