Goodbye sit-up tv, you were a fun place to work

comments 11
Life

RIP sit-up tv

Late last week news broke that sit-up tv, one of the companies I was employed at, was put into administration. Despite the fact that I left back in 2011 and that I am very glad to not still be working there, it still feels like a very very sad day. Not just for the people who’ve found themselves jobless, all quite suddenly. But that place still holds very happy memories for me.

The beginning of 2007 was a funny one for me. I was fairly lost, career wise. Two years had passed since I’d graduated university. I had done the whole work for an IT consultancy that one does after one gets a degree in Computer Science. That wasn’t for me. Tried software programming, but that really didn’t suit me. I was in a quandary.

On a whim I made the decision to give web design a go as a career. It had been something I’d been doing as a hobby for years – since I was about 15 years old. However, I was happy keeping it a hobby as I never thought it would be something I could do as a career.

2007 changed all of that. Early in the year I had my interview at sit-up channels (what they were called back then). With zero commercial experience in web design, but years of hands-on experience creating my own websites, I wasn’t too hopeful.

A short time after the interview, I was called back for a second interview. Wow, this was a surprise. Not long after that I was offered my first job a web designer in a small eCommerce team. Will never forget my time in that team. We worked hard. Competed with the TV channels. (Occasionally won!) The team grew.

I was incredibly fortunate that my first foray into commercial web design was a good one. My commercial work experience probably moulded me into the professional I am now. I got to do everything from designing and building websites, making improvements on eCommerce websites, working with technical teams, creative teams, marketing bods – such a massive array of people!

It was all about the people. That’s what I accredit to sticking around there for such a long time – the people. Working at that place taught me that the people you work with are probably one of the most important things about any job. After all, they’re the people you spend a large chunk of your life with!

As with any job, there were some bad times. But it’s much easier to remember the good times. All the fantastic people I got to work with.

So long, sit-up channels/sit-up tv/bid shopping/whatever you’re called now. Thanks for giving me my first break and introducing me to some fantastic people.

11 Comments

  1. A pity a place you have fond memories of is shutting down. Hopefully those jobless people can find other work soon.

  2. I remember when you used to work there! It’s so sad to see a company you used to work in go into administration. That happened with my first job and it made me really sad to see such a staple of the community closing.

    • Was umming and ahhing over whether to post something. But even with the bad times, this place still has some good memories for me!

  3. I spent a great number of years working in the Apps Support team and worked closely with Jana. What a great time it was! We had good days and bad days, but the good certainly outweighed the bad!

    I left at the end of 2011 as I had gotten fed up with the then Application Support Manager and their management style, but also with the ‘new’ owners of the company who had taken over a couple of years before. I could see the rot beginning to set in and was not prepared to hang around any longer.

    Although like Jana, I moved on to bigger and better things, I was completely shocked and saddened to hear that sit-up had shut shop last week and that all 200 + staff who had worked so very hard over the years to keep the company afloat, now faced the awful prospect of having to look for work again.

    I never thought I’d ever get to say goodbye to sit-up for good. I wish all the former staff that were affected all the very best of luck in finding new work.

    • You lasted a bit longer than I did. I made my exit at the beginning of 2011.

      Such an awful way of finding out that you’re suddenly unemployed! Though, I have to admit, I can’t say I was too surprised that that’s what happened.

      Shame, there’s now a lot of very talented people out there.

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