My Career Ambitions

Until recently I have looked at many different areas to work in, but when I first studied programming last year I felt that I had discovered the career path I want to follow. When I first learnt programming I thought it really matched my skills and is something I really enjoyed from the start, so any career in programming such as software development is what I am looking to get into, and possibly even gaming, web, or app development in the future.

Computing is an industry that is always changing and so there are a wide variety of areas that I could work in. Because of this I think it is important that I keep my options open and therefore allow me to work in some of the exciting new technologies to come. Maybe one thing for me to consider is to not stay in one area for too long so that I can work in other areas that I hope to enjoy.

My first goal is to graduate with a high grade degree and of course I am aiming for a first honours degree from Coventry University. From this I will be making my first step into a role, hopefully in programming, to give me the required experience to take into my career.  I then hope to move on in the industry, and look at my options in the future. Once I have gained a few years of experience in computing, I intend to look at specific industries I would like to work in. This will be something I will consider in more detail when the time comes, but at the moment I hope for my career to eventually be involved in either the gaming or app development industry. However, computing and IT is needed across all types of industry these days, so maybe in the future it will give me the opportunity to work in a wide variety of jobs.

I believe it is important for me to keep focused on my goals so that I can achieve many things in my career. By setting out my ambitions early on it will allow me to aim for what I want to achieve and also mean that I have a clear pathway to take, and understand the goals I need to reach for.

Study Skills for University

Over my time at Coventry University I am going to be required to demonstrate a whole range of skills in order to succeed. Not only will these skills allow me to be successful at university, but will also set me up to have the right skills to take into my career.

Some of the main skills include time management and good organisation skills. I am studying various modules with various topics and it is important that I am up to date across the whole course; it can be fast paced and a lot of information to take in, so being prepared is a very important factor in being successful on my course.

Another important part of studying is making sure I make full use of all the resources and feedback that the university provides. There is a lot of information provided every week and so it is important I make as much use of these as possible. This is also helpful as it means I can learn in a variety of different ways, and it also gives me the chance to look back and ask questions on topics if needed.

Taking plenty of notes during lectures and seminars is very important so that I can understand the material and also be able to explain the information I am learning. This also leads to requiring good presentation skills which I will also need to demonstrate whilst at university so this shows that I can explain the content to others.

I believe independent learning is a huge part of studying at university, and I am expected to put a lot of time into my work outside of my timetabled hours. For my future assignments I will also use referencing skills which will be important to demonstrate I can use information well and is a key academic skill.

Throughout my time at university I will need to keep organising and planning my workload, and planning out my schedule to set out time for each module or each assignment. By setting time for each project and planning ahead it also means I can prepare well for exams too. As well as this communication and teamwork skills will be very important as I will be expected to work in group projects and the ability to work well with others will be very beneficial in the success of a group task.

One important aspect of this, especially in my programming modules, is that these skills can be used in professional practices. These are elements of your work which are done in a proper and professional way. This is something which I am being taught now so that I know it for the future.

With all these skills I am using it will mean my time at university will be planned and organised, setting me up to be successful and hopefully achieve high grades. Also the skills that university will teach me, such as presentation skills and group project skills, will also be very beneficial to me and really useful for me going forward with my career.

Why I chose Coventry University

Coventry University is an institution which has grown in reputation in recent years and is a very well respected university with high standards. Before joining the university I was fully aware of how it has risen highly in university league tables because of the improvement in the standards it sets, which has also allowed them to invest more into the university and its students. Because of this I saw Coventry as a great place for me to study my degree.

Coventry University is currently ranked 15th in the UK for the Guardian’s University Rankings 2016, 23rd in the UK by the Sunday Times University Rankings, and won ‘University of the Year’ in the Times Higher Education Awards 2015. It has also been awarded ‘Modern University of the Year’ in the past three years by The Times and Sunday Times, and was named ‘University of the Year for Student Experience’ as well. National recognition like this shows that Coventry University is a great place to study and so far I am really enjoying my time here.

Coventry’s Engineering and Computing faculty, which I am studying in, is the newest building here, was built in 2012 and was a £55m project for the university. This is a state of the art facility for me to be learning in and was another reason why I picked Coventry University.

Coventry is in the West Midlands, and isn’t too far away from my hometown Derby. Because of this it means it isn’t too far for me to live away from home. At first I was driving to the university everyday, but I moved to Coventry last week and I am now living in the university’s halls of residence. The halls here are a very good standard and are very well run and I am really enjoying my time living in Coventry as well.

Although I am still only a few weeks into living and studying at Coventry, I firmly believe that this will be a great place for me to be, and I look forward to the challenges, experiences and achievements ahead of me at Coventry University.

 

Why I chose Computer Science

All my life I have been fascinated by computers and technology, which is why choosing to study Computer Science was an easy choice for me. I believe that studying for a degree in Computer Science will be a great start to a career in an exciting and ever growing industry.

Computing is a huge part of modern life which we all depend on everyday, and I firmly believe that even the average user should have some knowledge of how computers work. From building computers to writing software programmes, I enjoy most aspects of computing, and I am looking forward to learning more in my degree. By studying for a degree in Computer Science I think it will be a substantial step towards a successful career which will give me more options going forward into my future working life.

Throughout school I was always interested in computers but was more interested in the technical side of I.T, instead of just using computer applications. Since school I studied for Microsoft and CompTIA qualifications as well as an Advanced Apprenticeship in I.T and Telecoms. After working in engineering for three years, I recently returned to education to pursue achieving a degree, and eventually chose to study Computer Science. I studied Computing at Further Education level in my Access to Higher Education Diploma last year, and this gave me my first opportunity to learn programming. I believe programming is now one of my favourite aspects of computing which I really enjoy learning and only wish that I had learnt it earlier.

I hope that by studying for a degree in Computer Science it will allow me to study various programming languages and one day allow me to work in software development, or maybe even games development in my career. However, I believe that by studying Computer Science it will give me a broad knowledge of different areas of the industry,  allowing me to work in different areas of computing, and therefore giving me many options in my career path.

Introduction

Hey there 🙂

Thought it would be a good start to just say a bit about myself and it also allow me to test out my blog.

My name is Genaro, I’m 21 and from Derby, United Kingdom. I am currently in my first year studying Computer Science at Coventry University. I have Italian and Ukrainian family, which is where my name comes from, but I have lived in the UK all my life.

Ever since a young age I have been fascinated by computers and technology which is why I am currently pursuing a career in the computing industry. I have studied IT and computing for a few years since school but after recently returning to education I am now enjoying taking on the challenge of studying for a degree in Computer Science.

My hobbies include football, gaming and going out with friends. I’m a huge Derby County fan, I play a variety of video games on PC and console, and just generally like to socialise and meet new people.

This blog will be about my studies at Coventry University, especially my programming unit which I have recently started.

Thanks for reading 🙂