In the first of our new Unlocking My Potential series, we hear from Deborah Clinch – known to everyone at UP3 as Debs. A junior engagement manager in UP3’s Customer Engagement team, Debs has been with the company since July 2023. She is the Engagement Manager for various Managed Development Services clients such as National Highways and Nuffield Health. She tells us about overcoming the impact of her role being made redundant twice before she was 30, how she convinced her university to take her on, and why bringing your authentic self to the table is so important.
When you get knocked down, you get back up again
The biggest inspiration in my life has been my Nan. She had ten children, and in those days it was expected that the woman would stay at home while the man worked. But one day my Nan realised that wasn’t working for her and her family, and she said, “I don’t want to stay at home anymore. I want to work.”
She got a job in the laundrette near where she lived, and everyone loved her. Even when she came across customers who weren’t nice to her, she would just smile. Her view was: just move on, because they won’t be a part of your life.
That same spirit has inspired me so many times throughout my career. My role has been made redundant twice. Neither time was my fault. But to get made redundant from your first two jobs, all before you turn 30 – that’s really hard. It was upsetting and my confidence was completely knocked. But I remembered my Nan and her advice – that when you get knocked down, you get back up again. Life moves on and you need to move with it.
Bring “you” to the table
I’d never worked in consultancy before joining UP3. I’d worked in project management at a recruitment company, and then at a media company. But both of those were in-house roles. I’d never had to look after the client relationship.
So when I started at UP3, I was very hard on myself. As a junior, you’re meant to be a sponge and just absorb everything around you, right? But I felt I needed to be the best of the best in order to impress everyone and make sure I passed my probation. I think it was imposter syndrome from being made redundant previously.
But then my manager said to me one day: “You know, we don’t expect you to be perfect. Just be you. Just bring ‘you’ to the table.” It was the biggest vote of confidence in me. It encouraged me to ask more questions and keep learning. No one at UP3 has ever said “that’s a silly question”. Everyone has started from the bottom at some point.
It’s really shifted my mindset and made me realise that I was chosen to be here for a reason. I needed to just bring me to the table and not this other person I was trying to be.
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable
I’ve grown so much at UP3. A year ago, I never thought I’d be doing what I’m doing now. You have to get used to being pushed beyond your day-to-day-job. That’s what it takes to get to that next level in your career: you have to get comfortable with sometimes being a little uncomfortable.
It was the same with my university course too. Because I’d started studying childcare and education, I didn’t have the right grades to get me into the business information technology course I wanted at Southampton Solent. They didn’t see that it was applicable to business IT.
So I actually wrote an email to the head of technology at the university and basically put my argument across: “I know I studied childcare and education, and I know you think it doesn’t apply to business, but so many of those skills are transferable, and I’ll work harder than anyone on that whole entire course.”
It was a risk to send that email, but ultimately I got an offer from them and I took it! It’s also a great reminder that everyone will have relevant skills they can transfer to the tech industry.
Don’t be afraid to get into tech
Tech isn’t just coding. It’s not just sitting down at a computer all day. I think a lot of people – especially young women – have that view and it puts them off from getting into a career in tech. They see it as very male-dominated. But there’s so much more to it than just the coding part.
I changed the focus of my degree at university, because I didn’t want to get into the software development side of things. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. So I switched in my second year to focus more on the project management side, which is my natural passion. Technical project management is a really important aspect of technology. The technology sector is so broad, there are lots of roles that are perfect for a “people person” like me.
I’d say to young women, don’t be scared off from looking into the tech sector as an industry for you. The roles are there, it’s such a broad area. You’ll have the right skills, no matter what your background. Keep asking questions. Keeping finding out where your abilities could fit. Never give up.
What unlocking potential means to me
For me, unlocking your potential is about pushing yourself, tapping into things you might not do every day, or even doing something for the first time. Maybe that’s taking the lead on a client account or speaking in front of a group of people. You might think, “why do I have to do that?” But it’s the only way you’ll learn and grow. Otherwise, you’ll never know what your future potential really could be.
Thank you to Debs for providing such valuable insight into how to push yourself, and not give up on the career you want. If you're looking for the next steps in your ServiceNow career, check out our opportunities on our careers page.
