(Degree Apprenticeship in Digital and Technology Solutions (Software Engineer) BSc, 2021).
Whilst I was at the BBC to work, I was also there to learn, and I was doing that alongside incredibly talented individuals who invested their time into me. Being in that environment and seeing first-hand how organisations like the BBC operate is not something that university alone can properly prepare you for.
You studied a degree apprenticeship at Queen Mary in BSc Digital and Technology Solutions (Software Engineer) which allowed you to study part-time whilst working for BBC as a Software Engineer. Why did you choose this route as opposed to a traditional study route?
Experience and money. It allowed me to gain practical experience in industry, which I have always valued over theoretical learning and not only at any company/organisation, but at the BBC! I knew how important it would be to have that experience and to stand out compared to students doing the traditional route. I also knew I’d learn things that I wouldn’t have learnt at university that would immensely help with my development. Then there’s the extra incentive of not having to pay for the degree whilst also having a competitive salary. How could I not choose this route?
How did you first discover that degree apprenticeships existed and what was the application process like?
I didn’t discover degree apprenticeships as a whole. I found the BBC advertising their degree apprentice position and I applied directly to them. I never researched or applied to alternative degree apprenticeships. The initial application involved answering some questions and I was then shortlisted to visit their offices for an interview, practical test and a group activity. There was a lot of waiting between stages and not knowing if I was going to be selected. As a backup, I had offers from other universities where I would do the traditional route either in computer science or games development.
The degree apprenticeship taught me that I am able to do and achieve so much more with my time than I thought was possible.
How did you find the experience of working part-time alongside your studies?
Difficult but rewarding. It constantly felt like both parts wanted my full time, which I of course could not give, so weekends would often be used as a substitute to catch up with lectures and coursework. With it requiring so much of my time and being a four-year course, it was important to still find the time to relax, do my hobbies and not burn out. I’d always reward myself after reaching certain milestones, such as visiting the cinema after submitting a piece of coursework.
What support did you receive throughout the duration of your degree apprenticeship?
The BBC were amazing at supporting me throughout the four years. They always understood that I had to juggle work and studying at the same time and that never became a problem. A wide range of colleagues also spent a lot of their time teaching me but also gave me a lot of responsibility. Despite being a degree apprentice, I was always treated just like everyone else!
Which modules did you most enjoy as part of the theoretical side of your degree and were there any academics that had a strong influence on shaping your journey here?
Security engineering, database systems, computer systems and networks, and of course all of the programming modules were ones that I thoroughly enjoyed.
In terms of an academic, all degree apprentices would say Dr. Eran Padumadasa. He is not only a superb academic but also a wonderful human being who supported and put so much time into all of us over the four years.
What was it like to work for the BBC as an apprentice? What exciting projects did you work on?
It was special. Whilst I was there to work, I was also there to learn, and I was doing that alongside incredibly talented individuals who invested their time into me. Honestly, I think the most important thing was being in that environment and seeing first-hand how organisations like the BBC operate. It’s not something that university alone can properly prepare you for. Besides that, I was able to learn about industry-standard software and tools, such as AWS, GitHub, Jenkins and Splunk. I also had the opportunity to work on and release BBC Sounds before moving to a new team where I had my own project to reimplement a legacy system called Terms Matcher. Both of these were huge projects and I never would have thought I’d get the opportunity to work on something so widely-used by consumers.
What did you learn about yourself by doing a degree apprenticeship?
That I am able to do and achieve so much more with my time than I thought was possible. That with self-belief, motivation and hard work, I can always achieve my goals.
I’ve been a gamer my whole life and it has always been my dream to work in this industry. It’s exciting being able to see how AAA games are made and being able to contribute to something that I am so passionate about.
You are currently a Game DevOps Engineer at Creative Assembly. What are some of your daily responsibilities and how has your degree apprenticeship helped you in this role?
I am primarily responsible for Perforce, which we use for version control. I create and manage streams and triggers, solve merge conflicts, chase locked files and copy up streams. I also have a shared responsibility of maintaining and configuring TeamCity, which supports the continuous building, testing and deployment of the game. I spend a lot of time ensuring that the build farm behind TeamCity is healthy and functioning efficiently. I also create and maintain tools and investigate new technologies. Working at the BBC through the degree apprenticeship is where I discovered a passion for DevOps and I was able to gain first-hand experience with industry-standard tools. Whilst these tools aren’t what I am using today, they do share a lot of similarities and it allowed me to quickly learn what I needed to here at Creative Assembly.
What sparked your passion for this particular industry?
What are your future career aspirations?
My career goal has always been to work in the games industry. I was able to do that much sooner than I expected and I haven’t really had the time to think about what’s next. For now, I’m just focused on helping release my first video game!
If you would like to get in touch with Nicholas or engage him in your work, please contact the Alumni Engagement team at alumni@qmul.ac.uk.