Your Team Mates: Adam Bradley

However, the list got rapidly shorter once I'd crossed off the firms of consultants (too demanding), the accountants (too boring) and the various Government departments (too bureaucratic). As it happened, the single company that I was left with appeared to tick all of the correct boxes and offer free holidays as a further incentive.

I had known of Metaswitch for many years, through their sponsorship of my college boat club. A sense of duty, and a student’s keen nose for free food, had seen me turn out to many of their presentation evenings - I had always sat through these with a feeling of envy that the other people in the room might end up with this peachy working-life of lunchtime sports and free cake. At one such hazy red wine-fuelled presentation, I even tried to convince one of their recruitment staff that what this software engineering company really needed was more vets on their books. To my surprise, they didn't deny it.

So I ended up filling in an application form, suffered mild shock when I found myself sitting through the unexpectedly entertaining interview process, and was eventually gob smacked to be offered a job. I accepted the offer, agreed a starting date and celebrated by heading off on holiday for six months. Five months later, whilst sitting in the African sun, I received an email from Metaswitch pointing out that, as their forthcoming ski-trip would coincide with my first week of joining the company, I had better come along to Courchevel to 'get to know people'. I was much too hot at the time, so I accepted.

Thus began a new chapter in my life; a chapter of challenging work, sports in the sunshine, free drinks in the pub and the opportunity to silence those critics who said that working in London meant selling your soul. Who's laughing now?