Reflecting on your first year of your Degree Apprenticeship with WMG – what is the most useful thing you have learnt?
Both in the workplace and at university it is important to ask questions. If you do not ask questions, then everyone will assume you know everything which is never the case. So, I would say the most useful thing I have learnt is to not be afraid to say you do not understand something because we are all here to learn.

2. Was the course and Degree Apprenticeship what you expected? If not how/why?

Completely how I expected from a top university, structured courses, and a lot of resources. However, I definitely underestimated how hard you must work, it requires a lot of effort, including working late and on weekends to adhere to deadlines. However, it is very rewarding and there is always support available.

Covid-19 meant we had to switch to online learning pretty quickly – how was that experience?
One tip I would give for online learning is to not get too comfortable being at home, it is easy to get distracted when you are surrounded by your phone, games consoles and sometimes family. However, it is very important to treat it as if you are at university and to try and avoid being distracted. Find a quiet room in your house and turn your phone off for the duration of the lecture otherwise you will find yourself falling behind quickly.

Briefly describe your role and the types of projects/work you have been involved in.
My role includes programming and software testing. I have been involved in different projects, from designing a user interface and demonstrating it to customers, to helping test computer systems behind the scenes.

Why do you think Digital Technology is a good career to get into?
Digital technology is the future and has many transferable skills and potential jobs you can get into. Make sure you find out what you enjoy about it and try to build your career around it.

What have you enjoyed the most about your studies?
I enjoyed the first year of university before coronavirus when we got to use the new degree apprentice building. Very modern, clean and a great place to learn in.

What skills/knowledge from the course are you applying to your role?
All the skills we are taught in our lectures have been useful for me in my job role. Being a software engineer, it is important I know how to programme, so the first-year Python (coding) lectures were great. However, the soft skills we were taught have proved to have the most impact on my career by teaching me how to behave in a work environment, from presenting, to how to speak to your boss.

What are your ambitions for the future?
I would like to do Cyber security and hopefully enter management.

Why did you decide to do a degree apprenticeship?
I decided to do a degree apprenticeship because I have always enjoyed working. I was on the fence about going to university because my brother did an accountancy apprenticeship and has progressed well in his career, so he inspired me to look for an apprenticeship. I then stumbled across this opportunity and saw that I could get a degree and work at the same time.

What’s the best piece of advice you could give someone thinking about doing a degree apprenticeship?
Best piece of advice I can give is to go for it, it is a great way to kickstart your career if you have an idea of what sort of job you want to do. It’s one of the best opportunities you will come across in your lifetime.

Find out more about our Digital and Technology Solutions or other Degree Apprenticeships we offer.

"The course is well structured with great lecturers. They are always open to questions and will go the extra mile to help if you are stuck. The Degree Apprenticeship Centre offers state of the art classrooms with great learning spaces and technologies."