I began my journey at OCF as an Apprentice Hardware Engineer. Having already completed a Level 3 qualification in IT, I wanted to expand my knowledge through an apprenticeship — a chance to “earn as I learn.” What started as a foot in the door quickly became a life-changing opportunity, opening doors both personally and professionally.
When I first joined OCF, I was completely new to the world of High Performance Computing (HPC). My Linux experience was limited to basic command-line work from college - creating and editing files at most. Early on, my focus was on the physical side of things: installing servers, learning about different types of cables, and understanding how hardware comes together to form an HPC system.
That hands-on experience was invaluable. It gave me a solid foundation in what HPC is at its core - how servers communicate and scale to deliver incredible computing power. The role also took me around the country, working on customer sites and building systems from the ground up. Those experiences not only developed my technical skills but also helped me grow personally, becoming more confident and adaptable in new environments.
While working in hardware, I often overheard colleagues in the compute and managed services teams talking about things like Slurm, xCAT, workload managers, Prometheus, and Red Hat. As someone curious about the software side of HPC, I started asking questions — and soon had my own virtual machine set up. I spent every spare minute learning Linux fundamentals and exploring why it’s so essential in HPC.
By the time I completed my apprenticeship, I had built a good foundation: navigating the command line, writing bash scripts, understanding system daemons, and developing a real curiosity for how Linux powers our clusters. After some reflection, I spoke with my line manager about a possible secondment to the compute team. OCF was incredibly supportive, and I soon began shadowing a compute engineer on live deployments — learning how we design, build, and configure HPC clusters.
Balancing this with my hardware responsibilities was challenging, but it confirmed what I already suspected: I loved the compute side of HPC. Eventually, I transitioned into a full Compute Engineer role, completing a probationary period and officially joining the team.
Since then, I’ve led cluster deployments, supported multiple customer projects, and developed a strong understanding of the OCF Steel Stack. I have achieved my Red Hat Certified System Administrator qualification with the goal of becoming a Red Hat Certified Engineer.
Looking back, none of this would have been possible without my apprenticeship. Apprenticeships are an incredible way into industries that might otherwise feel out of reach — providing real-world experience alongside structured learning. I’d recommend them to anyone looking to grow their skills, gain hands-on experience, and see firsthand how theory turns into practice.