Meet The Daemonite: Martin Rogers

Hi, I’m Martin Rogers, currently working as a Managing Consultant at Daemon. I joined Daemon in 2017 but had worked with the company for several years before that as a Trusted Partner on various projects. 

How did your career begin?

Although I had a long-standing interest in computing, I originally studied Physics before doing a range of strange jobs (I’ve been a barman, bin-man, apprentice carpenter and immigration clerk at various points). I settled down and did a Masters in Software Engineering before starting my career in 1992 with a US software company. I was in that role for 5 years doing a mixture of Consulting and Training work, before working a further 5 years for a Danish company. Those roles took me over most of Europe and the USA, as did several subsequent years as a contractor. On joining Daemon, I moved into more hands-off technical leadership work.

My core skills are in Java and its associated technologies, but I have probably done all the roles possible on a software development project, as well as working in support roles. I recommend that every developer do application support at some point; it gives you an invaluable perspective on building maintainable applications. I was a full-time and then a part-time trainer for several years, and I continue to keep my presentation skills current by running internal courses at Daemon.

What is your day-to-day like at Daemon? 

My current role, which I’ve been in since April 2024, means that every day is different and I can be working on several projects simultaneously. I have an interesting mix of client work and internal projects but have inevitably had to step back from day-to-day coding work. I am more likely to be working on a new bid or contract these days, which is fascinating in its own right. Daemon has a wide range of clients, which means I could be working with Retail, Financial Services, or Goverment customers all in the same day.

I have an additional role as a People Manager, which is a different challenge but can also be extremely rewarding. This role gives me the opportunity to mentor people at a very different stage of their careers and, I think, keeps me in touch with how the role of a consultant has changed over the years.

What advice would you give to others? 

My first piece of advice to those considering joining the industry is to try it! There is no specific background that you have to have. I have worked with people with a vast variety of previous jobs, education, histories, and experiences. The ability to code, for example, is something you may have, regardless of whether you’ve tried it before. You can now download and try the same tools professional developers use every day for free. 

For those already working in IT, my advice is simple: always keep learning. As a guideline, I often share that about half of the technical skills I use in any given week were learned in the last five years. Very few of the technologies I rely on regularly today were part of my toolkit 30 years ago. With an abundance of largely free resources available, there's never been a better time to upskill and stay ahead.

Over my career, I have increasingly appreciated the old saying that “procrastination is the thief of time.” Whenever you can, do things now and don’t put them off. The context-switching cost of constantly returning to a large number of half-completed tasks is huge. Keep your diary free of low-value meetings so you have time to pick up new, incoming tasks and do them right away.

My final piece of advice for people working in almost any field is to - write things down.  Detail will be lost from your memory very quickly and written communication is vital when working within teams. But this is primarily for your own benefit - keep a journal, digital or hand-written and you will find that your productivity increases.  I have experimented with many ways of doing this and there is no perfect solution, but starting and maintaining a daily log is key.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I have always had a keen interest in history and although I didn’t study it beyond school, I spend a lot of time reading and watching documentaries. I would recommend the outstanding “Fall of Civilisations” podcast to anyone interested.

I have probably tried most sports, but these days I mostly play golf in my spare time, trying to get my handicap down to single figures! I was very pleased to complete the London to Paris cycle ride for the Royal British Legion charity in 2023. I also spend a fair bit of time playing computer games - you may find me online in Elite Dangerous.

My experience from a previous job has given me reasonable DIY skills. I have built (or re-built) six wooden decks now and do most jobs around the house myself. This Spring, I will likely replace the shed roof that I’ve put off for a couple of years.

I am a lifelong supporter of Manchester United, having been born a mile away from Old Trafford and grown up near Manchester.  At least these days I can’t be accused of being a fair-weather supporter. 

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