UWTSD Applied Computing Blog

Dream Job is the latest feature on the BigAmbition website which covers all aspects of working in IT in a fun, interactive way. Students, teachers and advisers can get a real insight into the opportunities available with tech careers in a variety of companies.

Visitors can:

• discover the perfect IT job using interactive games and quizzes
• hear about life as an IT professional by watching any of over 75 video interviews
• find out about potential employers through company-profile videos featuring big names like Microsoft, BBC and BT, alongside small entrepreneurial businesses
• watch videos on individual role profiles from a range of professionals within the IT Industry
• learn about current technology career trends through news articles
• enter competitions that give entrants the chance to win valuable prizes.

Access our Dream Job game now and try it out for yourself, or pass it on for someone to try.

Kapilan has recently graduated from his PGCE at Swansea Metropolitan University. He currently works as a networking teacher within the School of Applied Computing. Additionally he is qualified in CISCO Networking and this comes in great use when teaching on the Networking programmes. Take a look at his student experience below:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is your background?
I have a strong background with studies in Computer Science. I am also qualified in CISCO Networking and currently teach this at Swansea Metropolitan University.

What course did you study?
I have studied a BEng in Networking.

What employment opportunities can students persue after graduating from networking?
In the primary instance, individuals are opened up to roles such as a network administrator, a network associate and in further studies even a network engineer.

Why did you choose Swansea Metropolitan University as a place to study?
Primarily my place here at Swansea Metropolitan University was introduced through my profession and job offer. I was offered a job at the University as a networking teacher and from this I carried out further research at the university. Swansea met is a wonderful place to study if you are starting an early stage career, as it is a small environment and it gives you a close and realistic community to work in.

Please can you outline the main positive points you believe are best shown within the university (e.g. Library):
Firstly I believe the teaching quality at Swansea Met is excellent. The open door policy is very useful for any student enquiries and the lectures are always kept consistent and interesting. Also the location of the University is another benefit on its own. The university is based about five minutes away from the city centre, and allows students and staff to enjoy meals outside of university and allow a more sociable university experience. Additionally I believe that the access times students have to the university campuses are wonderful, the extended opening hours of the libraries for example allow students to work in more depth. Finally the online databases are huge help for assignment completion, the referencing options allow us to reference academic material that can gain good marks.

In a summary please write a little statement that explains your experience at the University and whether you would recommend it to anyone in the future:
I strongly recommend study at Swansea Metropolitan University as the quality of teaching is second to none, and the rare opportunity of gaining additional qualifications after your degree is introduced. The applied computing school for example has recently had their courses accredited for BCS accreditation. This means that people who are doing a degree at Applied Computing gain BCS membership. Similarly with CISCO qualifications, in some instances individuals are opened up to other certifications such as CCNA.

Lee Joseph MBCS is a recent graduate from the School of Applied Computing at Swansea Met. He studied a range of courses that finally allowed him to graduate from Computing Information Systems in 2013. He now works as a technician within the University. Read all about his experience below:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is your name and what course(s) did you study?

My name is Lee Joseph and I started off studying a HND in Computing Information Systems. After completing this I was able to progress to the BSc programme and complete a degree.

How easy did you find it to apply for your course of study?

The overall process to apply and enrol on my course was very easy. I had some great assistance from some of the staff members, who were there if any bits of the process were difficult to understand.

Why did you choose Swansea Metropolitan University as a place to study?

As I was a mature student, I was searching for somewhere good to study. The staff at Swansea University highly recommended study at Swansea Met. From this recommendation I started researching which courses I could do and how my interests would fit into the course content.

How long did it take you to complete this course?

It took me 3 years to complete the course.

Please can you outline the main positive points you believe are best shown within the university (e.g. Library):

The lecturers provide an open door policy and the support they gave during any issues was amazing. Any problems that came up were quickly addressed and solved. The rooms all had up to date equipment and software, which allowed a positive and reliable environment to work in. Additionally the support given from the university as a whole was outstanding.

The national student survey had shown that your course received a 100% student satisfaction rating, what are your thoughts on this?

Well personally I think that result is outstanding and I definitely agree with it. The course that I studied on was well delivered and the figure is a positive reflection on what the applied computing school can do for you overall.

 
In a short paragraph, please explain how the university resources helped you to complete your course:

To complete the course we had access to good literature from within the library and also electronic access to journals which we could use to reference in our assessments. The access to the eduroam Wi-Fi was helpful as it allowed me to wirelessly do some research. The printing facilities were also very helpful.

In a summary please write a little statement that explains your experience at the University and whether you would recommend it to anyone in the future:

As I was a mature student I was very nervous getting back into education, but the whole university support made me feel at home. If there was anyone thinking of coming to the university, I would highly recommend it and advise them to look at the statistics of the national student survey. It is a great place to study and the outcome is well worth all the effort you contribute to your course.

Paris is a recent graduate from the School of Applied Computing at Swansea Metropolitan. She obtained a first class honours degree in Computing Information Systems and has also provided us with some feedback on her student experience. Read all about it below:

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please state your name and what course you studied?

My name is Paris Bonfield and I studied a BSc in Computing Information Systems.

What is your background?

I have some good experience with ICT and networking. I also applied this further during my degree study.

How long did it take you to complete this course?

It took me 3 years to complete the course.

How did you find the course in terms of easy or difficult? Was there help available?

The course was challenging but I would not have expected anything less from a degree level course. I had my strengths and weaknesses in different modules and if there was any aspects I struggled with the lecturers provided excellent support with their open door policy and the library provided lots of resources either on campus or digitally.

Did you do research on the university prior to starting? If so what kind of research?

I came for an open day to see what the university was like and researched into the type of modules I would be undertaking.

Why did you choose Swansea Metropolitan University as a place to study?

On my visit I just got a really good feeling about the university and Swansea city, and knew it was where I wanted to study. I had visited a few other universities but Swansea Met just seemed perfect.

Please can you outline the main positive points you believe are best shown within the university (e.g. Library):

The lecturers are fantastic and provided so much support throughout the 3 years; the computers were always kept up to date and also the support and opening hours of the library were really helpful.

In a short paragraph, please explain how the university resources helped you to complete your course:

The library was a huge help in completing my course, it provide good resources, open hours, and support. Also access to thousands of online journals, articles and databases inside and outside of university was extremely useful. The printing and Wi-Fi facilities were very helpful too.

In a summary please write a little statement that explains your experience at the University and whether you would recommend it to anyone in the future:

My time at the university was amazing. I developed as a person, learnt so much more than I anticipated and truly made friends for life. I would 100% recommend anyone considering doing a course at Swansea Met, it is a great place to study.

Liam Duggan is a recent graduate from Business Information Technology at Swansea Metropolitan. He graduated with a 2:1 (Upper Divison) degree in 2013. He agreed to share his student experience with us all, why not give his responses below a read.

___________________________________________________________________

What is your name and what course did you study?

My name is Liam Duggan and I studied a BSc in Business Information Technology within the School of Applied Computing.

How easy did you find it to apply for your course of study?

I applied for the course via UCAS before clearing had begun. I decided to apply to Swansea Met due to its location and facilities.

Did you do research on the university prior to starting?

Prior to starting I did obvious course research to find out which courses would best suit my skills. I also attended open days and experienced a tour of the facilities which really helped.

Why did you choose Swansea Metropolitan University as a place to study?

Primarily I chose Swansea Metropolitan University due to its location and facilities. The courses had good descriptions and the discussion on course content was well delivered.

How long did it take you to complete this course?

It took me three academic years to complete.

Please can you outline the main positive points you believe are best shown within the university (e.g. Library):
The good points about the University are its location, the friendly attitude of staff and the facilities. For example I found that the text-based notifications were very useful for the latest news on my course. Another positive point about the university is how we are given the opportunity to research; the library for example allows us access to some very reliable academic databases to gain efficient research material.

Please can you outline the main negative points you believe need to be further developed?

The main negative points that I believe need to be further developed are the notification for absences, although I believe this has been recently dealt with.

Please explain how the university resources helped you complete your course and whether you would recommend study here:

In many ways I believe it was a mixture of factors that helped me complete my course. Firstly I think that the library online databases had contributed a lot to my assessments and final year dissertation. Secondly it was the events that were set up by staff to promote any important parts of the course including the Project Day. The staff members were always there if I got confused with any point during the course. Finally I would think that the friendly class relationship that me and other students had was a good help in keeping me motivated for study.

In a summary please write a little statement that explains your experience at the University and whether you would recommend it to anyone in the future:

Before starting University I had an interest in persuing ICT but also researching a business side to this as well. After graduating I found a job as a Software Programmer which is one job that I never imagined doing previously, as my programming skills were not as good. The resources and course content allowed me to widen my skill range and career prospects, opening up a variety of different opportunities for me. I would recommend study at this university to students as it has improved my skills widely. The opportunities that you achieve after graduating are amazing, and you will be surprised at your career prospects afterwards, overall I believe this experience was the best three years of my life.

Rhys Hiscock is a recent graduate from Business Information Technology at Swansea Metropolitan University. He graduated with a 2:1 (Upper Devision) degree in 2013. Find out all about his university experience below!

_______________________________________________________

What is your name and what course did you study?

My name is Rhys Hiscock and I studied a BSc degree in Business Information Technology within the School of Applied Computing.

How easy did you find it to apply for your course of study?

I applied through using UCAS prior to the clearing period. I received a clear conditional offer from the university and was pleased with how fast and easy my application was assessed.

Did you do research on the university prior to starting?

Within college I took part on a tour of the Swansea Metropolitan Campus. This allowed me to have a brief idea of the environment I’d be studying in, and what resources were available. The tour was led by a very helpful member of staff who fully understood the position we were all in.

Why did you choose Swansea Metropolitan University as a place to study?

Originally it was due to the location of the University. I thought that I’d be able to access the university through public transportation routes. Another reason why I chose Swansea Met as a place to study was because it had a very wide selection of courses that had interested me. The open day that I had attended helped considerably with the choice of course I had ended up doing.

How long did it take you to complete this course?

I studied the course throughout three years.

Please can you outline the main positive points you believe are best shown within the university (e.g. Library):

The first main point of the university is the location of the University. When living locally it is easy to get too, and its proximity to the city centre allows students to visit the city centre when they have spare time. One other area that I believe is well delivered is information pertaining to the courses available. I was able to find out about the courses well and fundamentally found out that the courses were well suited to my skills. I gathered this information through open day experiences in which the staff members are very helpful. Finally the helpfulness delivered from the staff members is of a high standard. When starting my primary choice I had second thoughts however I spoke to my course tutor and they smoothly transferred me over to the course I wanted to undertake.

Please can you outline the main negative points you believe need to be further developed?

The university has recently implemented an SMS notification system, which allows staff to notify you about absences or changes to lectures. This was a problem I had before, however it has been solved well in my opinion.

In a short paragraph, please explain how the university resources and activities helped you to complete your course:

When there were times where I was unsure about anything, I would attend information days or ask staff directly about any help available. One example of this is the Project Day that was held at the end of my second year of study. Prior to the project day, I had little idea of what my main topic of research would be for my final year study. It helped me decide which type of study I would be doing, and what type of topic that I would like to do. Over the three years however, resources such as the computer systems and online databases allowed me to widen the research that I undertook for my assessments and final project.

In a summary please write a little statement that explains your experience at the University and whether you would recommend it to anyone in the future:

The first statement I would like to make is that prior to attending University I had a good interest in what I was studying with a clear career ambition. However throughout the degree my skills and interests have widened, opening up a wider set of career opportunities. After graduating my interests are now wider and I have a larger range of jobs that I am interested in applying for. As for looking for a graduate job, I feel a lot more confident in taking on a number of tasks and my confidence in some skills has been greatly improved. For example I would easily be able to prepare and present material to an audience, whereas before it would take me a bit longer to get used to the idea. I would definitely recommend study at Swansea Metropolitan University as it’s a small, friendly, fun and informative environment to learn in. In terms of having advice for potential students I would most probably say that the staff are there to help you; and that they are highly approachable when available. The staff understand you and your career interests whilst doing their best to teach and direct you in the correct direction.