IT girl.

 

Jessi Morgan never dreamt she'd end up an IT whiz. Now she's running Trade Me's website.
by Amanda Strong.
Five years ago, the only people who said "Trade Me" were the kids with salmon paste sandwiches. Today Trade Me is a national craze and Trade Me Online Auctions is one of the fastest growing companies in New Zealand.

 

One million New Zealanders are now registered on Trade Me, using the service to buy everything from tractors to ball gowns. Twenty-six-year-old Jessi Morgan got in on the ground floor, when the company was only six months old. She had minimal computer skills when she joined, but five years on she is operations manager, overseeing the day-to-day running of the website.

 

"My brother Sam started the company," Jessi explains. "He was going away for six weeks, so I said I would look after the company for him - it was only him at that time - and I've never left!" Between the two of them they have built what started as a one-man business into a company that employs more than 50 people.

 

"It's been very exciting to watch it grow over the years. When I started there were only 5,000 members. Now there's over a million. "It used to be that I'd get in a taxi and I'd have to explain what Trade Me was. Now when I say I work for Trade Me, people know what I'm talking about."

 

Jessi says she never planned to get into the IT industry. Although she was confident with computers - at Wellington Girls' College she used a computer to do her assignments - she had dreamed of being a doctor or scientist rather than an IT whiz. She had always been interested in science, so when she finished school she did a degree in biochemistry.

 

"The main benefit I saw in university was the life experience, and the attitudinal difference that you gain over that time - that you want to work and have a passion for what you are doing."It was only once she began working for Trade Me that she began to take a serious interest in computers. Jessi says she had to quickly learn new skills such as computer programming.

 

"In a small company, as Trade Me was when I started, you need to be able to do a whole lot of different things. I think having a whole range of skills and being able to apply yourself to different areas is really important." Looking back, she is pleased about the career path she chose - and she finds her job really exciting. "There hasn't really been a low point, actually.

 

It such a fun place to work, and everyone loves it here, so it is really cool." For those looking at a similar career, Jessi says a good attitude is the most valuable asset. "If you are relatively bright you can learn new stuff and try things and find out what works for you: that is the most important thing." There are a variety of roles at Trade Me, from customer service to computer programming, and they are always looking to hire enthusiastic people.

 

"The site is always growing, and we are always trying to develop new features and make it better and easier for people to use. So there are going to be more jobs in the future." Jessi advises young people to follow their hearts to find the most rewarding job possible - whatever that may be. "I think liking your job is really important - working for a company where you believe in what they are doing."

 

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