Katie Ellison

I graduated from Oxford with a degree in Mathematics and Statistics in 2005 and joined EDS on the Business Analyst route. From day one I was given responsibility over my own development as well as the management of my day and workload, but I've also got the support of my Managers for any problems I may have. I work with a wide range of people, all sorts of different ages, backgrounds and experiences, and I've really benefited from the experience of talented Technical Architects and Business Analysts who've treated me as part of the team.

I've made the most of some fantastic opportunities in my first 6 months at my current posting. Having already been placed in 3 distinct areas, gaining great experience, I'm now a member of the Business Requirements Team, responsible for managing, negotiating and estimating Requests for Change. Prior to this I was a member of the Functional Support team for the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) service; which involved Problem, Change and Release Management. In this role I became the Technical Support specialist in several areas of HR for issues and still fulfil an advisory/mentoring role.

I directly see the results of the changes I make. From talking to Service Personnel all over the world and resolving issues to putting in place new ways of working that improve the efficiency of the company from the inside, my role's crucial and far more interesting then spending 2 years training toward a professional qualification! The flexibility of EDS is great too. After working in SPVA for a while I can move on to a different account, whilst still maintaining the network of friends and contacts I've built up.