Matthew gains work experience with reputable company - ARM

Matthew Hill decided to study BSc (Hons) Computer Science at the University of Derby. Through his time with us, he has been given many opportunities to explore new hobbies and boost his employability including a year’s work placement, taking part in a hackathon, winning an award and becoming the President for the Computing Society.

Course that stands out

The Computer Science course at the University of Derby stood out for Matthew when looking for a university, as the course is “very focused on giving a practical and applied experience, allowing me to delve deeper into various topics.” The wide range of modules available aligned with Matthew’s career aspirations of working in the software/hardware industry and gave him the chance to broaden his experience and knowledge and find where his real passion sits. “There is a focus on employability at the university, and specifically within my course, where we are taught industry relevant knowledge and skills. There is also a focus on applying what we learned to the real world. Problem solving and proactiveness is supported during the programme, teaching us to be curious about what we are learning”. This was also a key selling point for Matthew.

He also said Derby “is pretty central in the UK, so being able to meet new people and go places is very easy with the train connections.”

Matthew really enjoyed that even in his first year he was exposed to many exciting, yet sometimes challenging, experiences like the hackathon; a long event where participants form teams to solve challenges through building software, hardware and creative projects. This was like nothing he had ever tried before.

Matthew was impressed with our industry-standard facilities, which are open to all students “The University has state-of-the-art facilities with the large computer rooms and special XR lab for Virtual Reality development, as well as computer networking rooms and modelling/animation rooms for computer games students. What I like the most is that these are open to all students to experience. I have explored Markeaton Street the most as this is where I am based, having a look at the electronics, mechanical and motorsport engineering rooms and many more.”

Developing projects and winning awards

When asked what his biggest success on the course was, he said “it has to be the project we developed during our second year. I was able to win the Bloc Digital Innovation Award for this project which was a great privilege. The project was a cricket simulation using a real cricket bat to control the virtual cricket bat in Virtual Reality. We made it in the cheapest way we possibly could with an Xbox 360 Connect camera and a £30 Arduino for the tracking of the cricket bat. The data we got from this was then sent into the game for the player to play some cricket.”

Work experience with well-known company

Matthew also chose to undertake an Industrial Placement Year.  He searched for a placement on a website call Gradcracker and saw a Physical Implementation Engineer role at ARM. He told us “I applied as I wanted an opportunity at a reputable company and wanted to give myself a chance to work in an area I find very interesting that may be slightly different to my university course.”

Through the transferable skills and knowledge like problem solving, debugging and communication that Matthew has learnt on the course, as well as the encouragement from the academic teams to be curious and proactive in learning new things, he was able to settle into his placement role more comfortably.

Important role to play in the computing community

The skills he also developed and enhanced by being the President of the Computing Society also built confidence in his abilities. The role consists of taking charge of the community group, arranging events and communicating with the members to make sure they are happy with the activities. “Taking charge of a group like this is something I have never really done before, but it has given me a chance to try something new and see what I can do. It has pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to learn new skills that I would have never thought about before taking on this role.” He is proud to have been nominated for the President role “because I have a passion for computing and being able to bring people together is very important and giving them a space where they can meet like-minded people.”

Words of advice

When asked what he would say to anyone thinking of studying at the University of Derby, Matthew replied:

“Go for it. I am very happy with my experience at Derby, there are loads of opportunities to meet new people, make friends and try new sports or activities. The University is welcoming and inclusive so get to know your lecturers, and learn as much as you can while you are here. The University is great at helping you develop the skills for your employed life after university and helping you to decide exactly the career path you want to take. Finally, get involved, try new things, meet people and have fun. University is as much an experience as it is a learning time.”