MY JOURNEY SO FAR...

Solving problems in her solutions architect role, have a read about Catherine Linacre's career and inspirations

CDW UK Careers

MY JOURNEY SO FAR...

Solving problems in her solutions architect role, have a read about Catherine Linacre's career and inspirations

CDW UK Careers

MY JOURNEY SO FAR...

Solving problems in her solutions architect role, have a read about Catherine Linacre's career and inspirations

CDW UK Careers

MY JOURNEY SO FAR...

Solving problems in her solutions architect role, have a read about Catherine Linacre's career and inspirations

CDW UK Careers

MY JOURNEY SO FAR...

Solving problems in her solutions architect role, have a read about Catherine Linacre's career and inspirations

CDW UK Careers

MY JOURNEY SO FAR...

Solving problems in her solutions architect role, have a read about Catherine Linacre's career and inspirations

CDW UK Careers

MY JOURNEY SO FAR...

Solving problems in her solutions architect role, have a read about Catherine Linacre's career and inspirations

CDW UK Careers

beginning Catherine's Career

Even from a young age, my dad has always inspired me to learn about many different things. I had exposure to a lot of subjects and technologies, which gave me a passion for anything that involves building things or making things better.  

 

Before CDW, I was a Network Manager, quickly moving to continuous employment with CDW from November 2004. I started as a security engineer and, due to hard work, I was able to move over to be a consultant after one year. My skills in this position were recognised, and my manager realised my potential could be used in a different job role. From this, I was put forward for the Citrix Academy in Dublin, and I jumped at the chance! It was 6 weeks of really hard work and studying, but it paid off because I was one of two people who graduated from that course with a unanimous 100%.  

 

I ended up in the right place, and in 2017 I moved from consultancy to my current position of Solutions Architect. During this time, the team has grown so quickly, and we have all been reliant on one another to help along the way. There is mutual respect and trust between one another, where we are always pushing to improve, learn and support one another. 

CDW's Sense of Community

One of the main things that I like about the CDW culture is the ability to manage your own diary. I know I have a degree of flexibility and I have been able to make the role my own. We are all trusted to get on with our job in the way which best suits our own unique working and learning style, and I have used this flexibility to challenge myself and develop my skills.  

Socialising for me is a big thing. Coming out of the pandemic, getting more human interaction is something I wanted to prioritise as I further my relationships across the business.  I have been able to do this through the team, even virtually. A lot of effort is made to ensure we are all included and invited to both physical and virtual events.  

Getting involved in
the CDW way

I am also a member of the Pride Plus business resource group, which is very important to me as it's nice to have a work group where you can feel like you. We meet once a month, often doing different activities (like our recent painting lunch!) or just meeting up to socialise. Being part of this group has given me a safe space to just connect with like-minded people and chat.  

One of my personal highlights has been working on a Citrix deployment project for healthcare. We have been able to work on a solution and provide a service that has directly impacted patients on the operating table. Watching this unfold was one of the proudest moments of my career, as it exposed me to the areas where technology can positively impact people's lives.  

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WANTING TO APPLY TO CDW UK?

“Show a degree of flexibility. Thinking creatively is one of the key standards in a technical career. Be able to learn and use transferrable skills. You need to be adaptable to the changing pace of technology, because today’s top technology moves at an incredible pace”