Gaming student gets dream job

Gaming student Jordan Scott tells us how everything he worked for at Ayrshire College became a reality.

I started college at NC level and went on to study HNC Games Development at college. I enjoyed it and found I had a real interest in the programming side of things. When I got offered the opportunity to go for an apprenticeship at Barclays I was happy to go for it.  It was focused on software development which just so happens to involve more programming than anything else, so it was perfect for me.

I knew this was an opportunity I wanted to go for. It was my ambition to get a software development degree and be able to work at the same time, so when I got offered the apprenticeship, I was over the moon.

It was brilliant on the Games Development course at college as it was really fun to make the games. Along the way I found that I wanted to focus on software, and since the course is of a high industry-standard, it sets you up to work in the industry.

With the Barclays apprenticeship, I’m at university for 8 weeks, then at work for 8 weeks. When I’m at work we work within a team which means that I’m getting valuable experience doing programming, and the professional experience is something I’m really grateful for.

The college course helped me get the basics and get a foot in the door, so to speak. It provided many opportunities, including the chance to go for the Barclays apprenticeship. I’m also much better at time management now, which is really helpful for me now that I’m working. And, there is always someone to chat to at college if you have any issues and need some help.

Definitely, the biggest thing I got from college was more confidence. I had the confidence to take the opportunities and it’s opened so many doors for me. I’d say that you should take every opportunity you can that is offered at college, as you never know where it might lead to.

I have got to start a new path in my life and pursue a dream of mine that I’ve had since school where computing was always my best subject.

My ambition now is to become a Senior Software Developer at Barclays.

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