Studied: BSc Computer Science with a Year Abroad at the University of East Anglia
I’ve been interested in technology since an early age and knew I wanted to work in a computing related industry, but I didn’t initially know what this would look like.
I’d considered alternative routes into the industry, such as working in cyber security or perhaps in game development, but when looking for graduate roles I thought back to the modules that I’d enjoyed most throughout my degree and realised it was the modules centred around software engineering that I loved the most. After this the type of roles I was interested in became a lot clearer.
We follow agile methodology and ceremonies in my team, so generally we work in two-week sprints where we aim to complete a certain number of items from a backlog of work. Each morning we have a daily stand-up where we briefly meet to discuss the work completed the previous day and the work we plan to complete by the end of that day. For me this work is generally coding related where I am currently developing in .NET and working with C#.
I have also been exposed to working on pipelines and cloud-based technologies. This all may sound a little ‘buzz-wordy’ but essentially, I sit at home and code, which I love doing! I do however occasionally travel to the office for planning, and early careers sessions which helps to give me that variety.
When I was searching for graduate roles and schemes, I initially was limiting my search to larger cities near me. I live in Lincoln, so I was looking for roles in Nottingham and Sheffield. When I came across the opportunity at Experian, I had heard of the company and had used Experian to check my credit score before, but that’s where my knowledge ended.
When I started learning more about Experian and I discovered the work they do outside of just credit reporting, I was hooked. Throughout the interview process I realised more and more that this is the job for me. The early careers team were brilliant with communication and feedback at each stage, and I felt supported throughout.
The early careers development programme made the transition from university into a professional environment so much less daunting. I’ve learned so many soft skills from the programme over the last year. Regular monthly catchups and workshops have been invaluable for skill building, networking, and career progression. One key thing I have learnt so far is understanding the environment I work best in, and how to work in teams where each member’s working preferences differ from my own.
A standout moment for me has to be when I’ve presented our team’s progress at project review meetings at the end of each sprint for the first time. Presenting in this way combines the soft skills and confidence I’ve built from the early careers development programme with the technical skills I’ve learnt throughout the rotations of the scheme so far.
It feels very rewarding to be able to confidently speak in front of people about work you’ve been personally involved with. It’s also nice to be pushed out of my comfort zone of coding all day long!
