Arianne completed her degree in Theoretical Physics at the University of Nottingham and then joined our Analyst Graduate Programme in September 2017.
I chose Physics with a theoretical focus because it gave me the opportunity to go into a range of various industries. The theoretical focus also made the degree more Maths focused, which I really enjoyed. I wanted to study at Nottingham because it had all the conveniences of a city, but a lot of greenery around the university as well.
I kept hearing things about the company’s culture and reputation as a place to work. I also liked that it was based in Wales; I liked that there was the opportunity to experience a different culture without going abroad. Cardiff is a capital city but the atmosphere and living costs suit me better than London.
In terms of the graduate programme, I just really wanted something where I could use my degree, so the fact that the analyst programme was looking for graduates with numerical degrees was ideal.
I found it nice and simple. I liked that for the interview stage I was required to come into the Cardiff office, as I was able to see the city for the first time too.
The interview itself was quite casual and they took a real interest in getting to know me, but it also covered the business side of things.
It was really nice to come in and not feel overwhelmed. We saw some of the business, had lunch and met everyone, so they did it the best way they could have by letting us know what was coming.
I’m working with MI (Management Information) and our job is looking after all the data in the business. If anyone wants to know anything about their department and how it’s performing they come to us. We formulate the data into a way that the rest of the business can use and understand.
Definitely! MI does everything through coding and I used coding the whole way through my degree. Even though it’s a completely different language, once you’ve learned one language of coding the same logic applies, so it’s easy to pick it up.
I want to challenge myself! I don’t feel particularly confident about leading projects, so I’d like to try and get over that hurdle. Ultimately though, I want to see more of the business; MI lets me see small parts of the rest of the business, so it would be nice to completely dive into one of those areas next.
The creativity! It’s typical to think there’s just one way to coding, but in reality there’s so many ways to solving the problem. It lets me take a problem and come up with my own solution that I think will be useful to the person in need of the information.
Be relaxed, they want to see who you are! You just need to show that you have the right skills, confidence and personality.
If you’re coming from a small town or village it’s a perfect place to experience all the best parts of city life without being overwhelmed. If you’re coming from somewhere larger and busier it’s lovely to get a bit more peace, quiet, and scenery without sacrificing the conveniences you’re used to.
