Meet Alasdair, one of our Senior Developers here at Answer Digital. He joined us back in 2021 through the Answer Academy, and in just a few short years has built an impressive career, working his way up to senior level while contributing to some of our most impactful projects.

We caught up with him to hear more about his journey, career highlights, and life outside of coding.

If you could describe your job in three words, what would they be?

Learn. By. Doing.

Tell us a little about your journey through Answer.

I joined Answer through the Dev Academy in 2021 and was rolled straight onto a project creating a new enterprise solution for legacy data for NHS Manchester.

Since then, I’ve had the chance to work on a wide range of projects, from migrating IIS applications to Azure, to building a shipping service with USPS for an anonymous sexual health testing platform.

Right now, I’m helping to rebuild a legacy service for a HGV management system. It’s been a diverse journey and I’ve learned a lot along the way.

What’s one career milestone you’re most proud of?

Only a couple of months after graduating from the Academy, I was trusted with migrating data for the North Manchester Diabetes service.

It was a relatively small piece of work, but the fact I was trusted to go out and meet doctors and nurses myself really stuck with me. It highlighted just how much trust Answer puts in its Academites right from the start.

What’s the best thing about working with your team?

Definitely the knowledge-sharing. I get to work alongside super-experienced developers who are always willing to explain and discuss their approaches. The learning and knowledge transfer is priceless.

What’s the most unusual job you’ve had before Answer?

I spent a year in South Africa as an outdoor instructor. Half the time I was running activities for groups of kids, the other half I was removing snakes and scorpions from the courses. Honestly, the animals were easier to deal with…

What’s your favourite place you’ve travelled to, and why?

The Alps. It ticks every box for me: big mountains, amazing climbing, great food and incredible scenery.

I’ve experienced it all, from camping on glaciers as a poor student to enjoying more luxurious stays (with hot tubs!) now that I’ve got a bit more cash.

Fun fact people might not know about you?

I was actually a clay pigeon shooting champion as a kid!

How do you like to spend your spare time?

Climbing. A lot of climbing. Around three times a week indoors and twice outdoors, weather permitting. It takes up about 90% of my free time, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

If you could swap jobs with anyone for a day, who would it be?

I’d love to be one of those people who go to the edges of active volcanoes to measure gasses and gather data. Somewhere you’d never usually go.

What’s your biggest goal for 2025?

On the work side, I want to find time to complete my AZ-204 certification.

On the personal side, I already ticked off my big climbing goal for the year, an incredible trip to Jordan in March to climb the desert towers.

👉 From wrangling snakes in South Africa to scaling mountains (literally and professionally), Alasdair brings passion, curiosity and resilience to everything he does.

We’re proud to have him on the Answer team.