Finding A Career that fits: My time interning at Geolytix.

As graduation begins to loom, I have been racking my brain to find which career is best for me. I’ve always known that I enjoy the technical side of coding, particularly working with datasets and data handling, but I also love opportunities to be creative, collaborate with others, and communicate face-to-face.

Before meeting Sarah Hitchcock, COO of Geolytix, introduced through the 10,000 Black Interns initiative, I had an extremely vague idea of what sort of career I would steer myself towards. I expressed to her my strong interest in datasets and data handling but then I also expressed to her how much I thoroughly enjoyed my role as Project Manager in my second-year group project, and how conceptualising, creating and then delivering a product, brought me a quiet sense of joy and accomplishment.  Sarah then kindly offered me the opportunity to shadow two of Geolytix's Leeds-based Project Managers, Ellie and Imogen, an opportunity I was incredibly excited to accept!

One of the highlights of my first day was accompanying Ellie and Imogen on site visits around Leeds. We visited shopping centres and high streets to understand the factors retailers consider when choosing new store locations. It was fascinating to see how much thought goes into location planning, from analysing footfall and street visibility to assessing nearby competitors, accessibility, parking, and the surrounding mix of businesses. We also discussed how different shopping destinations attract different customer demographics, comparing areas such as Trinity Leeds and Victoria Gate and how brands tailor their location strategies accordingly. There's a very strong chance this experience has permanently changed the way I'll look at shops.

Back in the office, I was introduced to Geolytix’s MAPP Demo tool with an interactive task. I explored questions such as identifying the best-performing sports apparel store in London, based on their card insight data and recommending a potential location for a specific brand in Nottingham. It was a great opportunity to see how data, mapping and commercial insight come together to support real business decisions.

I also contributed to a research task designed to support the development of Geolytix’s newer AI tools. Using my knowledge of my home, Grand Cayman, I carried out a Red-Amber-Green (RAG) assessment of well-known fast-food chains. Each location was evaluated on factors such as visibility, ease of access, parking availability and whether it had a drive-thru. It was exciting to know that this work could help train AI models to assess retail locations more efficiently in the future.

Another task involved compiling the company’s monthly business roundup, highlighting retail openings, closures and major expansions. This gave me an appreciation of how closely Geolytix stays connected to developments across the retail industry and how important it is for a business to stay afloat and not get lost in the tide of such a rapidly evolving sector.

More than anything, speaking with Sarah about my strengths and career goals helped me realise that I don’t have to fit the stereotype of becoming a back-end software developer. Shadowing Geolytix’s project managers showed me a role that combines technical understanding with communication, organisation, client interaction and problem-solving. It was incredibly encouraging to discover that there really is a career path that aligns with both my technical interests and the way I enjoy working. 

I’d like to say a huge thank you to Sarah, Lucy, Imogen, Ellie and everyone at Geolytix for taking the time to share their knowledge and allowing me to experience the work first-hand. The team made me feel incredibly welcome, and I left with a much clearer understanding of both the retail location industry and the wide range of opportunities available within technology. Most importantly, I left feeling excited about the future. This experience has given me greater confidence in the direction I want my career to take, and I'm looking forward to seeing where that journey leads after university.

Written by Rae-Gene Holmes