Student networks his way to Amazon
We asked Ken Gorrian, former networking computing student, about his journey starting at Ayrshire College and landing a job in one of the largest tech companies in the world; Amazon. Amazon.com, is an American multinational technology company which focuses on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economic and cultural forces in the world", and is one of the world's most valuable brands.
About his career journey, Ken said:
"I went to Abertay University to do a computing course but eventually dropped out. I realised it wasn’t for me at that point. I spent time working in various jobs and didn’t really know what direction I wanted to take.
Three years later I decided to see what courses were available at Ayrshire College and the network computing course really interested me so I applied and that’s where my IT journey started.
Initially, I started on HNC level before moving to HND and at the time we could do a degree course in partnership with Napier University, so I thought why not? It was a natural progression for me.
Once I graduated, I moved to Aberdeen and ended up working as a Network Engineer for Hewlett Packard based on the networking experience I had learned at college. Following the downturn in the oil industry in Aberdeen at the time, I decided I wanted a change and so moved to London.
I got the opportunity to go for a job at the new Amazon fulfilment centre as an IT Engineer. I was in my element as I was working on their brand new site, patching cables, configuring switches - all the networking stuff I had learned at college. The Amazon centre was the biggest in the UK at the time and it now handles 20% of the UK’s orders.
From there, I became the IT Manager for that team, before moving onto an IT Project Manager and to my current role as Senior IT Project Manager. I have been here for 5 years and I really enjoy my job. It’s a great place to work. Amazon is a very encouraging and progressive place to work. The company culture is very positive. We work hard, and it’s like a big family.
I’m now got the chance to move to Austin, Texas in the USA with my job. Working virtually means that we can work anywhere. A lot of the team are based in the USA, so it’s a great opportunity. I’m looking forward to the adventure.
Going to Ayrshire College helped me massively. I had no idea what career I wanted, and college was the turning point for me as it helped me get into the IT world.
There are so many jobs out there just now. It’s an industry that just keeps on growing, and the opportunities are limitless."
We have lots of Computing and Gaming courses to choose from at Ayrshire College.