What is the title of your degree?
Film with Year in Computing
Why did you choose to study the Year in Computing?
I was interested in Animation and was learning Unity/3D Modelling in my spare time. I thought that learning some basic software development would help improve my skills as well as help my career aspirations when leaving University.
What was it like studying in a different school?
The transition was pretty much seamless. The great thing about the Year In Computing is that everyone is coming from a different school. This means there is a wide variety of skills/passions/ideas which in my opinion is more representative of the wider tech industry today.
What did you do for your project?
I created a basic application that allowed you to bet on sports outcomes with a friend. I wanted to use a real-time sports API (however, this proved to be too expensive) so I used a mock database and used in-game credits rather than real money (a gambling license is required for real funds/security etc). The app would take credits from yourself and your friend and then hold them until the outcome had been determined. The app would then transfer the credits to the winner ie the person who predicted the correct outcome. The main focus of the app was football results/next goal scorer etc. Whilst it was incredibly buggy the main functionality worked and UI was intuitive enough (although not device responsive, for example on any mobile it would have been massively disproportioned). I learnt an awful lot and was so happy with what I achieved after just a year of learning the basics. The application eventually helped me to land my first job as a software engineer.
What was the highlight of studying the Year in Computing for you?
For me it was the programming modules I found the most interesting. During my time we learnt basic web dev (javascript, HTML, CSS) and PHP backend. It gave me a whole new insight into the fundamentals which make up so much of our modern day to day life and the limitless possibilities that come with it.
How would you sum up the Year in Computing?
It transformed my outlook on the nature of programming/software development and helped propel me into the career I am now in full-time.
Would you recommend studying the Year in Computing?
100%!
How do you think the Year in Computing benefitted you?
It gave me the fundamentals I needed to land my first job as a Software Engineer. It gave me real transferable skills that are in such high demand in our ever-developing and growing world.
What are you doing now?
I am working as a Technical Consultant. This means I spend around 70% of my day doing software development or integrations and around 30% in various client engagement activities.