Life on the Fast Track: our new developers tell us about their first 90 days at Pace

Published by Pace Integration at 7th April 2021

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Starting a new career is always challenging. But it’s doubly hard to start in the middle of a pandemic, when it’s only possible to meet people virtually.

So, we’re incredibly proud of our latest cohort of new developers, who joined the Fast Track Grad scheme at Pace a few months ago. They have all taken virtual working in their stride, and have absolutely thrived with the support of Pace colleagues and our social framework.

In today’s blog post, we’re speaking to three developers on the Fast Track programme to find out all about their first 90 — very unusual — days at Pace.

Let us introduce you to:

Bhavini Gajjar, Integration Technology Analyst
Daniel Gomes, Integration Technology Analyst
Lily Spokes, Integration Technology Analyst

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?

BG: I’m Bhavini, I graduated from the University of Kent, July 2020 in Business Information Technology.

DG: I’m Dan, and I’m an Information Technology Management for Business Graduate from Queen Mary University of London.

LS: My name’s Lily, I graduated from Oxford Brookes university in June 2020 with a 2:1 in Information Technology for Management Business.

What attracted you to the Fast Track at Pace?

BG: What helped me decide to join Pace was having a friend that already worked there; I was told about all the company culture and the work ethic as well as day-to-day life at Pace. When going through the interview phase I could also tell how the company looked after their employees

DG: I decided to join Pace Integration as it was a perfect opportunity to practice and further develop my understanding of technology adoption for businesses in a fast-paced, start-up environment.

LS: I decided to join Pace because I was not only invested in the company’s culture, but I also saw a great path for career progression.

What were the first few weeks like?

BG: Having started working as Pace during a Pandemic, I wasn’t sure of the way things would work. But having done nearly 4 months at Pace, I can say with full confidence I have been welcomed thoroughly.

DG: My first few weeks at Pace were a unique experience especially working from home full time in a virtual environment. The onboarding process at Pace was very welcoming. I had the opportunity to meet and get acquainted with employees as well as getting to learn more about the company.

LS: My first week involved lots of virtual meetings to meet the whole team. On the second week, training began. Training was done individually online, but luckily, we were given the help by experienced architects in several daily zoom calls and worked with other members of Pace.

What have you achieved so far?

BG: Many micro wins have been achieved, from completing my training to having created many APIs on my first project. There were also personal goals such as going on walks, getting better sleep and eating healthier which we discussed during the ‘buddy catch-ups’ – this showed that Pace really cares about the personal wellbeing of their employees.

DG: Being new to MuleSoft, my main area of focus was to get certified as MuleSoft developer… After learning and improving my understanding, I am now an officially a Certified MuleSoft developer. Currently, I am working with a large logistics company where my primary responsibility is to build APIs as per their business requirement.

LS: In my first 90 days I have been extremely lucky to have already ticked off some of my goals. I got to join the social committee, passed my MuleSoft certification, joined my first project and I am now enrolled onto my next certification which is a BCS Requirements Engineering course.

What have you enjoyed the most?

BG: I have been at Pace just over 90 days but I already feel as though I am part of the Pace Family! We have many social events that bring people together, making you want to wake up in the morning looking forward to the day.

DG: Pace has an amazing culture and working with like-minded individuals has truly been an extremely pleasant experience thus far. I also enjoy having regular coffee chats with different employees, it’s fascinating to learn about their varied backgrounds and experiences.

LS: I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience so far, it’s not called ‘Fast Track’ for no reason and you embark on different achievements straight away. I have been fortunate enough to have joined with great grads who we have all formed a lovely bond

What’s next for you on your Fast Track journey?

BG: My next goals are to become a Mulesoft expert where I am able to fully apply the knowledge and skills I have gained and with time hopefully become a senior developer within Pace.

DG: My next goals at Pace are to continue to attain further expertise in building APIs and also to get certified with additional technologies in the domain. Once I’ve gained sufficient experience I look forward to progressing to a more senior position within consulting.

LS: I have already set myself the goal of gaining my BCS requirements engineering certification… I also would love to continue to play the role in the social committee, helping ensure that everyone at Pace is engaged and involved with one another.

Unsurprisingly for a business called Pace, we like to move quickly. And Lily, Daniel and Bhavini have been a testament to our dynamic culture. They’ve worked hard, thrown themselves into life at Pace and adapted quickly to the challenging conditions of virtual learning. And we’re incredibly proud of how far they’ve come in just 90 days.

Of course, we’re even more excited to see where they get to in the next weeks, months and years of their career. Whatever they get up to, we’re sure they’ll be powering ahead at speed — because that’s the Fast Track way.

If you’d like to find out more about life at Pace and the Fast Track programme, get in touch through our website, email us at [email protected] or follow us on LinkedIn.