Helen Long is the Finance Manager at Datactics and has been a firm part of our family for 12 years now.
We thought it would be great to sit down with Helen and find out how she got involved with us; what her passions inside and outside work are; and what her favourite part of working here is!
Let’s leap right in…
Hi Helen! Perhaps as we begin, you could tell me a bit about your story prior to Datactics; what was your educational background?
Hello! When I was school, I decided that instead of taking A-Levels I would go to college. There, I undertook a BTech in Business and Finance and off the back of doing a GCSE Accounting, I knew that accountancy was the area I was most interested in and that suited my personality the best. All my other friends at the time decided to stay and do A-Levels but I was determined to pursue accountancy and decided that college would allow me to do this in the way that I wanted.
After I finished my course, I got a job. Once I had started working, the thought of entering back into full-time education and attending University was not something that appealed to me. I enjoyed working and then went on to get married and have a family, so University at that time never fitted into my plans. I will say though that it is a big regret of mine now that I didn’t attend.
What appealed to you most about finance that persuaded you to go and complete your BTech?
I think I enjoy the right and wrong aspect of Finance and Accounting, that there are no grey areas, and it must be done a certain way. I prefer when tasks are straight to the point, subjectiveness doesn’t appeal to me the same way!
Overall, I enjoy working with numbers. I wanted to learn the skills required to move my career along into the finance world, so I took it upon myself to complete my BTech and I then headed off to work.
Helen, you’ve been at Datactics for 12 years, what do you enjoy most about it?
The continually evolving nature of the role is great but also increasingly challenging. The ‘small company’ feel has also been maintained despite substantial growth over the past number of years since I joined. One of the best points of working for a Fintech such as Datactics is that your efforts are noticed, whereas in a larger firm you can often feel like a small cog in a big wheel. It’s been great to watch people join and gradually become managers over time.
I also enjoy the flexibility the company gives particularly with work/life/family balance. I have a young son, as well as a slightly older daughter so for me having that flexibility at times is really necessary to allow me to meet the needs of my children as well as my job.
What would your biggest advice be for someone who is starting out in their career?
I would say the most important thing is to feel valued within the company you work in. That has been my experience at Datactics. Whether you want to move your career along at a fast speed or you want to stay at the level you are at, I think feeling valued in the work you are doing makes the world of difference.
What tips would you give to people who are working from home?
For me, I have always tried to create a space that is for work only. I find that it is so easy to get distracted by jobs that need done around the house, so having that distinctive area really helps me to concentrate.
I think as well because COVID-19 restrictions are ever-changing and working from home seems like it’ll be required partially for a prolonged period, it is even more important to ensure you have established positive routines.
Moving forward, what are your goals?
I have a personal goal to enrol in some courses, I feel like education is never a bad thing and I would like to try and learn some new skills. I am actively looking at the minute at different courses to find the right one for me. There are several access courses you can do, which are stepping stones to doing a degree.
I am excited to continue to explore the different courses and I will maybe be back to talk more about the courses I found!
Thanks, Helen, for taking the time to chat with us, it was great to be able to hear about your passions and your career journey to date.
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