Olivia Flaherty
Operations Officer in the Royal Corps of Signals at British Army
Don't be afraid to be different. Be diligent, work hard, and be the odd one out!
About Olivia...
Who am I?
"My personality types were coach, influencer, and quality controller. Coach fits the bill as I like to work one on one with people and really find our their desires and what they wish to achieve which can make it a lot easier to help others out. As an influencer, the Sandhurst ethos is \"Serve to Lead\" which is something I wholeheartedly believe in. Being a good example and a role model to follow definitely influences people and develops strong teams. And as a quality controller I like to be meticulous with my plans as I believe it is important to delve into the detail as well as understanding the bigger picture. "
What do I do?
"I do a lot of planning for my unit and get to see the outcome of my work when deployments are successful. What I enjoy most is when my plan comes into action and seeing all my hard work pay off! The starting salary for my role is the same as your usual grad scheme of £24,000 a year but without a need for a degree!"
How did I get here?
"I spent my life considering a variety of different job roles before I found one that I really resonated it. I started university wanting to be a Forensic Scientist and I left wanting to be an Army Officer. I still would love to go back into science one day but didn't want to miss out on a chance to go into the military. At the beginning of my career I had the opportunity to go to the USA on a Cyber Course and from then on I've wanted to steer my military career in this direction. "
The life I live
"I have a variety of hobbies! I love to sing, play guitar and piano, knit, paint, learn French and Russian, and read. I also consider myself techy and practice hacking methods, play a lot of video games, and teach myself coding. "
My typical day
"A lot of my day is planning for deployments. They can be quite complex so I have to consider alternative plans to ensure that my unit can remain flexible. Another role I have at work is Second in Command of the Army Red Team which will perform as an enemy opposing force for our Cyber Security Teams so they are able to work against a live adversary. "
My qualifications
"I was very interested in science from a young age which reflects my A Level choices. I completed Chemistry, Biology, and Maths at A2 Level and then went on to get a Masters in Chemistry at University. Somehow I managed to move into the realm of Computer Science in my spare time and continue to do it to this day in my spare time. "