Edwin (Ed) Thomas joined Jesus College in January 2023 as our new IT & AV Officer. He describes himself as a ‘total tech head’ but a past career in broadcasting, regular DJ bookings, and a firm commitment to community service suggest there’s more to Ed than just his passion for technology.  

“My route to joining Jesus College began during my first attempt at retirement back in 2022. I was looking for a bit of part-time work to supplement my pension, and did a couple of days working in the catering team at Jesus. I met Bruno and Stephen, and all the team, and really enjoyed the positive atmosphere and friendly nature of the College. While hanging out in the staff room on my second day, Stephen was telling me to ‘work here, work here’, so I went on to the staff computer and saw the advert for the AV and Computer Support Officer position. After giving it some thought for a few weeks, I completed an application form, secured an interview, and the rest is history as they say!

 

Jesus College is a long way from where I grew up in Hackney, which being a borough in inner city London, came with a lot of challenges. But I always wanted to work, and was interested in technology from an early age. My break came when I got a job as a VT Operator at the BBC, which involved operating tape recording equipment, ensuring that the contents of tapes met the correct technical specification and preparing VT machines for use by editors. This led to becoming a VT Editor, after completing my training at Wood Norton, the BBC’s Engineering Training Centre in Evesham.

I went on to work for The Prince’s Trust for six years, helping young offenders and ex-offenders to get back to work, and make something of their lives. I was able to relate to their experiences having had a tough upbringing myself, and found the job very rewarding. However, I was still most definitely a ‘tech head’ and keen to work in film production – to be like Steven Spielberg! So I set about developing and using my skills in that area, and to boost my income took an evening job as an AV Technician at Oxford Brookes University (OBU). My original contract was for six weeks but the role ended up lasting 12 years. During that time I gained a Further and Adult Education Teaching Certificate, which enabled me to work as a media skills tutor at OBU’s Harcourt Hill Campus.

I have always been a champion for social justice, and was heavily involved the work of my union for many years. But it is hard work, and difficult to manage on top of a full-time job. I found I was starting to lose enthusiasm, and not enjoying the more managerial aspects of my position anymore. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, everything came in to focus and I decided that it was time to retire, and go back to doing the hands-on tech stuff that I loved. During the pandemic I trained myself up on the latest digital AV tools and coding, and learnt how to build websites.

I have six children, and my three eldest daughters are all pursuing media-related careers, including one as a writer for a TV company, and one who is about to appear in her first film. I’m a very proud dad! I spend a lot of my time ferrying them all around – I’m also a soft touch – and stepping out of retirement, and back in to work, was mainly so I could make sure my family had all the extras. Jesus College is a great place to work, and full of good people. I enjoy getting up in the morning – especially as I’m now getting paid to do the tech work I was enjoying doing at home. Even my kids have said that I seem really happy.

Outside of work, music is my lifeline. I have a collection of over 10,000 vinyl records, and am trying to digitise them all. I love reggae, old school R&B, and soul. I have DJ’d at venues across the UK, and still get bookings now – especially at Caribbean funerals where the wake is a time to celebrate a life departed, through music and dancing. I’m also keen to share my passion for music and digital tech in the community, and have facilitated a few projects that give people the opportunity to try out music or acting, and learn new skills.

I think that, in life, if you feel appreciated you’ll want to do a good job, and go the extra mile when it is needed. I certainly feel that way about working at Jesus College, and am looking forward to what the future holds”.