Anna Dickson

Software Tester / Trainer / Analyst

Globetrotter Anna Dickson has found a place to settle at last and she couldn't be happier about it.

Anna - who has made jaunts all over the world - joined Samarind last January as a Software Tester/Trainer/Analyst.

"It's rather a long job title," says Anna, "but it involves three different processes. First of all I work closely with the other members of the software team to make sure the bespoke software suits the customer's requirements, then I test it before release to ensure it all works as it should. Finally, I write any documentation, including user guides, and if required go on site and show the customer's staff how to use the software.

"It's a very hands-on role and I'm always kept busy - which is great, because I hate to be bored."

Anna came to IT by an unusual route. She took a degree in French and German and then found a role with a Liverpool-based company that needed people to train customers abroad in the use of their software.

Anna explains: "I was sent out to Germany for a bit but then all over the world. I've worked in South Korea, Vietnam, the USA, even Iceland; sometimes just for a week, sometimes for several months at a time."

The job allowed Anna to indulge her great passion - travel. Ever since she was a little girl, Anna has pored over books about foreign parts, planning expeditions.

"My boyfriend Matt worked for the same company and he got sent to Singapore for a year, so I decided to join him there, teaching English. When his contract ended a year later, we decided to go travelling together."

She and Matt took what can only be described as a one-and-a-half around the world trip. From Singapore they flew to Hong Kong and travelled overland through China, then took the Trans-Siberian Express to Moscow before making their way to the UK, where they took a round-the-world flight.

The Trans-Siberian Express trip was definitely one of the highlights.

"Other travellers said we'd be bored spending six days on one train," said Anna. "But it was really enjoyable. The scenery, of course, kept changing as we travelled through China, then Mongolia and the Gobi desert before crossing the border into Russia. And we met loads of interesting people because the passengers were from so many different countries and cultures.

"Bizarrely though, it turned out the passenger in the compartment next to ours came from the Wirral!"

Although she has seen many fabulous places on her travels, Anna admits that she enjoys the planning almost as much as the expeditions themselves.

"I think I can safely say we were the only back-packers who updated a multi-page, colour-coded spreadsheet on a daily basis." She laughs.

"That's a bit sad, isn't it? But it got us where we wanted to go and we made it home right on budget. I guess that's partly down to my training. It's why I love the meticulous attention to detail involved in my role at Samarind."

Now Anna has decided to finally put down roots. She and Matt are in the final stages of buying a house. The house is near Frodsham, which is about equidistant from Samarind and the firm in Liverpool where Matt still works.

"I was very lucky as regards Samarind. I came back from our travels into a recession but saw the advert a week after we got back. As soon as I saw it, I thought, that's for me!"

She adds: "And it's great working here. It's a smaller company than my last firm which means we can respond far more quickly to customers' needs. And I don't feel like I'm just a resource here - I'm a person.

"It'll be lovely to stay in one place for a change."