Why our Web Developer Cameron loves being part of Team KSB

If you work with any kind of technology, you’ll know it’s great to have someone you can rely on when something goes wrong, whether you’ve hit the wrong button, or you can’t even find the button! For us, one of those people is Web Developer and all-round go-to person, Cameron. If you want to do something fancy on the website – ask Cameron. Want help making sure your online event goes smoothly, ask Cameron. And yes, lost your password? You guessed it… Cameron does a lot of behind the scenes work too, so we interviewed him to find out more.

What do you do at Keep Scotland Beautiful?

I'm a web developer so that involves looking after the main website, the intranet (our internal website for employees) and various applications like the Clean Up Scotland members system and the membership system for Eco-Schools.

One of my roles is increasing our online presence, so working on social media, Eventbrite and MailChimp. I also have a general IT role and help people with technical problems with their computers, email, Teams, SharePoint and … just everything really.

How long have you been with Keep Scotland Beautiful?
I think July 2015 (very precise) is when I joined - about seven years ago. I started off as an intern covering maternity leave and then stepped up to working here full time.

What attracted you to work here?

When I left school I went straight into three years of college, getting my HNC and HND. I had mixed thoughts on whether I wanted to go to university or if I wanted to jump into a job. So, I thought, best of both worlds, I will try an internship. That'll give me some experience and I can use that time to decide if I want to go back to uni or continue working.

I decided that I liked working and getting experience that way rather than through education. Plus getting paid is nice! In IT, there is a split in opinion about the best way to learn, but I find I get a lot more out of working than I do just reading books and doing assessments. I don’t learn that way, so I think it was the best move for me.

I imagine you've got to be quite a good people person as well.

Yes. It depends on the role. There's a kind of stigma around IT. There are a lot of places where the IT people sit in a dark corner with their hoodies up, listening to music, but here we’re in a small team. I'm not in a team of 50 developers. I'm very hands on with everybody which means my role is probably more all-round.

So, typically you’d have an analyst that would go and meet with the team to decide what they need and then come back to the developers, who would build the thing and never really interact with the team. The good thing about working here is that I'm involved with everything. It’s a lot more rewarding, because you start with something that's just an idea and you've got input from the very start. Someone wants to do something - I can help shape that and see the project all the way through to the end, see it working and then build on it.

In some other jobs there might not be much recognition for the work you do. There's no ‘well dones’ - but here it’s different.

Is there a particular project you’re proud of?

The Clean Up Scotland member system is the project I’ve been most involved with. I’ve worked on lots of different projects through the years, but Clean Up Scotland has been the most long term. I can see it being used and the numbers going up and up. That is very satisfying, it makes me actively excited to work on it because I can see the difference it’s making and the number of people getting involved.

What’s your favourite thing about your job?

The people - I like being in an organisation where everyone’s got the same goal and is working together. We have good banter – it’s a very friendly place to work. Because we’re small but not tiny, everyone cares about each other. Also, being involved in projects from start to finish and helping them succeed.

If you think you're a fit for any of the roles at Keep Scotland Beautiful, apply now. You will be joining an amazing and dedicated team working together to make our local environment the best it can be. Our staff are the friendliest and most cheerful people I've ever met, and you will be made to feel at home.