Meet one of our Newcastle Grads – Declan Keir

Starting a new role as a graduate can feel equal parts exciting and overwhelming. We sat down with Declan, one of our newest team members to find out what it’s really like to join NextGen from the first weeks of onboarding through to tackling complex, real-world projects. Whether you’re a graduate weighing your options or just curious about life inside our engineering team, here’s an honest look at the experience straight from someone living it.

What drew you to this role, and how has your experience compared to what you expected when you joined?

I was drawn to NextGen because it’s an Australian company with offices in both Newcastle and Sydney and offers flexible work arrangements. My experience has been really positive and exceeded expectations. The support and friendliness of the team has made a huge difference since I started.

What did your first few weeks look like, and what helped you settle into the team most quickly?

The team provides an online training course, so my first two weeks were devoted to learning all the technology and tools needed for my role. Once this was completed, I was given tasks that progressively built upon each other and reinforced what I’d learnt. This structured approach, combined with the support of the team, made what could have been a daunting and stressful experience into something that has been educational and enjoyable.

What challenges have you faced so far, and how have you navigated them?

Some of the services supported by my team contain an enormous amount of code with a vast variety of tests and utilities. Seeing how everything connects and flows in repos of this size is quite challenging. Having Claude Code has allowed me to quickly understand these services and get up to speed with ease.

How does the support and mentorship in the team show up in practice day to day?

I’ve found team members are always willing to help: everyone from junior devs to tech leads have been accommodating and happy to go out of their way to help meyou. Code reviews are treated as learning experiences, with devs often messaging and providing advice. We also have fortnightly meetings with tech leads to catch up, plan collaboratively, and share progress. As a consequence I feel I have a clear path for progress.

What has been the most exciting or rewarding part of your role so far?

Working on larger, more challenging projects that involve several interlinked tasks has been the most rewarding todate. Taking the time to plan things out and talk through problems with senior developers is where I have learned the most and gotten the most satisfaction so far.

What advice would you give to other graduates who are interested in joining this team?

Go for it. There’s a lot to learn and the people are genuinely nice. Don’t hesitate to reach out and ask questions. Everyone is more than happy to help.Ready to explore what’s possible? Read more insights from the team on our careers blog, browse our open roles, or connect with us directly through our online community — and see where a career at NextGen could take you.