Matthew Wilcock

Senior Network Engineer

Skydiver Matt Wilcock has jumped into his new role as Senior Engineer with the same enthusiasm he has for jumping out of aeroplanes.

Matt doesn't do things by halves. Promotion has come in less than a year. Samarind took Matt on as a network engineer in November 2006 and everyone's been impressed by his knowledge, expertise and the dedication he has shown. He's only 23.

Despite his apparently tender years, Matt is a seasoned professional. He's been a network engineer since he was 17. After a two-year IT course at West Cheshire College in Chester, he became an apprentice with an IT company in Wrexham.

"I believe the best way to learn the trade is to be out there and doing it," says Matt. "But I don't think a year has passed that I haven't been studying, too. Right now I'm almost at the end of a course to become a Cisco Certified Network Associate."

Matt joins fellow Senior Engineer Guy Salmon and is looking forward to the extra challenges the role will bring.

"Our job is to come up with the solution that best suits each customer's needs and then to help the other engineers put it in place," Matt explains. "It's still very hands-on, which I like, but there's a lot of extra responsibility, too. It's a great opportunity and I'm really excited about it."

Mind you, it would be hard to imagine even the biggest, scariest server daunting someone who's prepared to leap into space 14,500ft above the ground. Matt has performed no less than thirty parachute jumps.

He explains: "You go through a system of grading, starting with an attached line which opens the parachute for you. After you're used to that, you learn to count down and pull the rip-cord yourself, beginning with jumps at 3,500 ft, and working your way up to 14,500ft."

The higher it is, the better Matt likes it.

"Free fall's an amazing experience that you only get at the extreme height," he says. "It doesn't feel like you're falling, more like you're floating in water. It only lasts about 50 seconds but it's a real shock to the system. All you hear is the wind in your ears and the trees below you getting bigger and bigger and bigger. It's exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time.

"Once I've pulled the cord, the excitement and noise stops instantly and is replaced with calm and relief, as you drift in near silence. You can see for miles, or look down on the weird cloudscapes if it's a cloudy day.

"Skydiving's quite safe," Matt adds (with all the confidence of youth). "If you don't pull the cord yourself, because you pass out or something, the reserve chute automatically opens when your falling body reaches a certain speed. Of course, it's fired a bit late, so you'll hit the ground with more of a bump."

Despite his hobby, the only way is up for our new Senior.

Matt says: "I'm gaining lots of great experience at Samarind, because the company I worked with before was quite small. Now I just want to get to the top of my field, to be the best network engineer I can be."

But he has another ambition.

"I'd also like to skydive out of a balloon," he says "You just lean back over the basket and let yourself fall. That would be great. You need to be really experienced to be allowed to do that, though."

Or completely bonkers, Matt!

Published Spring 2008