Denise Payne explains why she left her role as an NHS to retrain as a Cloud Support Engineer.
When I left my role as a nurse on an NHS intensive care ward it wasn’t because I stopped caring. Actually, I could see that care itself was changing, and I wanted to lead the transformation to give more to the people who depended on me.
For years, I worked on the frontline of healthcare, priding myself on a profession grounded in compassion, resilience, and human connection. Over time, the environment around me began to shift. Systems became digital, patient records moved to the cloud, and new technologies slowly but irrevocably altered the way care was being delivered. I found myself increasingly drawn to the tools behind the scenes, curious about how they worked and how they could be improved.
What began as curiosity soon became a commitment and the more I learned, the more I realised that my experiences as a nurse and my passion for post-work digital learning weren’t mutually exclusive.
Taking the risk
Even with that growing confidence, stepping away from nursing was an incredibly hard decision. It meant leaving a stable, well-understood career and entering a field where I would be competing with candidates who had years of technical experience and networking behind them.
Breaking into that first tech role required an immense amount of persistence. Most entry-level roles expected a working familiarity with Cloud platforms, scripting, and troubleshooting, which meant I had to invest heavily in developing those skills through certifications, labs, and hands-on projects. There were moments of doubt, but over time, small wins built a quieter, more resilient confidence.
The same kind of pressure
Within eleven months, I progressed to UK Lead Cloud Support Engineer, a milestone that feels significant, not for the title itself, but for what it represents. Changing careers in the middle of my working life demanded a level of discipline and focus that reshaped how I approached both work and learning.
That said, the differences between healthcare and tech aren’t so stark. The speed of development, fast pace, and ultimate mission to solve problems for people has remained consistent in both my careers. But the landscape in tech shifts constantly, and staying relevant means making learning a continuous, intentional part of your routine.
Why tech needs more women
While there is more to be done to create balance in the tech industry, there are genuine opportunities for women to enter the field, particularly those coming from non-traditional backgrounds. What surprised me most during my transition was the strength of the support networks available. Mentorship programmes, professional communities, and informal peer groups all played a role in helping me navigate the early stages of my career. Just as important was the encouragement I received from colleagues at TrustedTech who recognised my potential and supported my progression.
For many women, the barrier is about hesitation, not ability. It’s common for women to feel that we need to meet every requirement before taking the first step, or to compare our starting points to someone else’s middle. In reality, progress often begins with a willingness to start before you feel fully prepared, and to recognise the value of the skills you already have. It’s about recognising you have a right to be in the room as an equal.
What the transition taught me
Changing careers required more than learning technical skills; it meant rethinking how I managed my time, my energy, and my expectations. I stepped back from full-time nursing and worked more flexibly so that I could focus on building my knowledge, a decision that required both practical support from friends and family, and a load of faith in the process.
That period taught me resilience in a different way. It also reinforced how transferable my existing skills were. A big problem many businesses are currently facing as they implement AI and automation right now is not prioritising those essential human skills of communication, problem-solving, and empathy. TrustedTech were ahead of the curve in that regard, and they saw my soft skills from nursing as an advantage.
Now, in a leadership role, one of the most rewarding aspects of my job is mentoring others, particularly women who are considering a similar move. Supporting someone at the beginning of their journey, and helping them recognise their own potential, carries a sense of purpose that feels familiar from my time in healthcare.
Looking ahead
What continues to draw me to tech is its momentum. The way we interact with Cloud platforms, artificial intelligence, and digital systems is evolving rapidly, and with that evolution comes both opportunity and responsibility. Just like medicine, technology has the potential to simplify and improve lives, yet it can also feel complex and inaccessible, which is why the human element remains so important.
I don’t know what my role will look like in five years’ time, but I know it will be shaped by the same principles that guided my transition: a commitment to learning, a willingness to adapt, and a focus on bridging the gap between complex systems and the people who rely on them. Nursing taught me how to support people when it matters most and working in tech has given me a way to do that at the intersection of innovation and everyday life.
Author biography:
Denise Payne is a Cloud Support Engineer at Trusted Tech Team UK, specialising in Azure administration and Microsoft 365 environments. Her role involves supporting a wide range of clients — from small businesses to large enterprises — helping them troubleshoot issues, optimise their Cloud environments, and drive digital transformation. When she’s not resolving Cloud issues or mentoring her team, she’s empowering others who want to switch careers into tech by sharing her journey and advice.
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