WEBVTT

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So, I'm Louise McKeown.

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I'm a software engineer on the DTS course.

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I work for JLR and I'm a VCAT software
engineer.

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VCAT stands for Vehicle Configuration and
Testing Systems,

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and my team sort of focuses on the
diagnostics of all of the software in the

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car at the end of manufacturing.

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But my sort of responsibilities and role
at the end of the day is making sure our

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processes are automised and trying to
make sure everything's done in an

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efficient and streamlined manner.

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So,
originally I was really interested in

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studying finance and so it got me
researching sort of the most reputable

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universities who offer finance and
Warwick

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University came onto my radar.
It has a lot of good partnerships with

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very,
very good organisations and that sort of

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got me thinking as well,

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once later down the line,
I decided finance just is not for me.

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I prefer software engineering.

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I prefer all of the different jobs and
pathways that come with it as well,

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what I actually want to do.

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Just something about academics didn't
necessarily make me feel as though that I

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would be able to tick all of the boxes
and grow in every single aspect rather

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than just academically.

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And so, with this degree apprenticeship,
it's kind of challenged me professionally.

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I would just go outside of my comfort
zone.

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Be it leadership opportunities,
outreach events,

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or just even where I am right now.

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And so all of those things kind of really
catered to me and made me think, wow,

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this is something I need to do.

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I would definitely recommend going on the
Warwick website to be able to actually

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see all of the open applications that
there are for degree apprenticeships

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currently.
And there's also a bunch of other

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information about what an actual
apprenticeship is and what's expected of

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you.

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There's also making sure that you're
going out there and looking at the

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different interview questions or going to
different assessment centres because that

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experience is vital and will make you
more confident and assured in all of the

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stages going forward.

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And then there's also practicing.

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A lot of the companies do have practice
tests up. So,

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aptitude tests or just your Maths and
your English tests which were also very

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beneficial.

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That's a very hard question to ask,
especially so early on in my career.

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But if I would have to say something that
I'm more interested in currently,

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it's sort of the solutions architecture
pathway.

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I really,
really enjoy being able to dissect a

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problem or just seeing all different
points and aspects of it and then being

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able to influence it or advise others on
the situation.

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I do a lot of outreach days and I get to
talk to sort of the younger students who

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don't necessarily know what they want to
do,

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just like I didn't know what I really
wanted to do.

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And it's really nice to sort of
understand or help them navigate the

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different pathways and knowing that
there's not just university out there.

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The course has actually contributed quite
a bit.

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There is sort of monthly check-ins or
meetings where sort of they track my

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progress or just make sure that my
overall well-being is okay.

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Be that academically or professionally as
well.

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Professionally, in the sense of,
if I'm not necessarily having the best

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time in my team or if I'm having a
disagreement,

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they can advise me on those sort of
situations.

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It's also actually been really good to
see the success because they celebrate

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our milestones.

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It's really hard in this environment to
kind of take a minute for yourself and

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recognise, wow, this is what I've done.

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I've actually done quite good for my age,
for where I'm at in life.

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But then make sure that it is celebrated
or if you've done really well on a

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project, it is a success.

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So, my team are really good.
They'll let me not have as much work

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whenever I have an exam or a course work
coming up or I need an extra study day to

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be able to sort of revise for a specific
exam. They're really nice

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in knowing that I need that balance and
they understand the balance as well.

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And again,
whenever I feel like I don't have enough

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work,
it's really good because they'll give me

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more work to do.

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Because the thing is,
making sure that you yourself feel

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rewarded in the workplace is something so
critical.

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And that's sort of how I've balanced my
relationship of academics and work.

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Just making sure there's an open,
collaborative sort of communication.