IT Graduate Stories

"After my great experience of MSc in Newcastle, I had to decided which kind of career suited me. I loved the idea of finding a big company in which I could move on many projects and meet many companies. I've done many phone interviews, logical tests, etc... it has been an interesting period: I had to create an attractive CV, learn how to pass the logical web tests, try to make face to face interviews... I was lucky to find a good career service at the University that helped me to launch into the job world, and I also had the possibilities to attend some job fairs and meet many companies. At the end, I've joined a big firm of IT Consultants.

As soon as I started working I was sent on big projects with one of the biggest insurance firms in Europe. It was great to work in a young team with experienced managers that help us to learn very quickly how to face a new client and how to work on their systems. Even if the working hours are very intensive and we work hard, we've built a great team with strong relationships and the time is never boring. Of course there are difficulties during the projects, but the passion that is driving my working life and the help of experienced people around me help me to face every problem! Parallel to the daily work on the project, there were many training sessions during which it was possible to meet other young colleagues and create strong relationships. After two years in this graduate job I can confirm that I'm very happy with my choice and I'm growing in knowledge and experience day after day, project after project. Moving around companies I've understood better what I would like to do in the next 5-6 years."

LORENZO, UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE

"I studied in Liverpool and moved back home to Derry to try and save money and find a job. Unfortunately the job market in Northern Ireland for graduates in IT wasnt great so I was on the dole for around a month. A friend called me one day to say there may be a job opening at his place in Surrey, and I was so bored with being jobless that I thought why not? I passed on my CV to him and the next day I had the most surreal interview of my life, via webcam.

The interview went extremely well, and during my technical exam the guys in the Surrey office were playing with toy helicopters - I thought this was going to be a great place to work/play. I was offered the job at the end of the interview, starting on £18,000 to which I happily accepted. I was nervous and excited about moving again, especially to a place I had never even visited before, but it was worth the risk. I moved over to Guildford about a week later and started work immediately.

The job was great to begin with, I was learning lots of new development tools, and got to spend my days 'playing' in flash. The company was a very small new start up company though, consisting of a Sales Manager, a Senior Developer and my friend and myself as Junior Developers. But then more and more work came in and we didn't have enough hours in the day - which resulted in working stupidly late nights (often to 3am) and we were expected to be back in work at 9am again. Everyone began getting frustrated very quickly and the company appeared to be in some financial difficulty as our wages came in late each month. So during the Christmas break my friend and I spoke and decided that we needed to get out and find a new job. What with the new year and new start, we handed in our week's notice on the first day back at work. I believe the company folded shortly after. I fortunately was only unemployed for 3 days as I found a new job with a great company, where I still work today. Although my first graduate job turned out to be a bit disastrous, it was definitely a learning curve that I wouldn't change for the world."

FIONNUALA, LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY

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