Why I chose my course - Software Engineering
James Gaughan
Software Engineering BSc(Hons)
I considered many different options for furthering my education. I had been interested in computers and computing since high school...upon doing some course research and thinking, I settled on software engineering as a chosen subject.
The world of computing is a vast one and this is how I found the course I wanted to study and the university I wanted to be at. Let’s take it back to the beginning - to my final year at Kirklees College picking a suitable university to put my good grades to use.
I considered many different options for furthering my education. I had been interested in computers and computing since high school in year 10 when I bought my first computer.
I became fascinated with technology and eventually wanted to program software of my own as I love creating things using technology. As I have matured and changed as a person, my plan to go into programming has changed and the same may happen to you as you learn more about your subject. Now I’m looking to be a user experience (UX) designer when I graduate.
I attended a university event back in 2019 to see what options were right for me. I searched the convention floor far and wide, spoke to people from a variety of different universities around England along with attending seminars being held on that day.
Eventually, I came across a person at one of the university stands holding a prospectus for the University of Huddersfield. The prospectus was full of information about the University and the courses it offered. I discussed with them my interests in computing and that I wanted to program when I got out of college and funnily enough, she had also gone to Kirklees College when she herself was doing her BTEC qualifications. After discussing what I wanted to do, she circled a few courses in the computing section with her pen, one of those courses being software engineering. Upon doing some course research, I settled on software engineering as a chosen subject and applied for the Software Engineering course at Huddersfield.
I went to the Open Day at the University where I entered the Computing and Engineering building for the first time. This is the building where I would have many practicals, lectures, and programming errors in the future.
In the computing room, which I would later know as the 24/7 computing lab, I spoke with lecturers about the university experience and what the course had to offer. I really loved the idea of learning how to make complex programs and making what I wanted in the cyberspace using coding. With help from the staff and from the University’s website, when the day came to put down my choices for UCAS my mind was made up and Huddersfield was going to be my first choice.
Fast forward in time and I was accepted into the University of Huddersfield to start in September, and I was excited to see what university was going to be like.
This is the Spärck Jones Building named after Karen Spärck Jones, who was born and received her schooling in Huddersfield before going on to develop techniques that would later be fundamental to web-based search tools.Now I have been going to University for the past three years and I have had a great time! While I was too busy in the second year with coursework and passion projects to get involved in societies or student roles, I’m aiming to make the most out of my third year so I can leave with good grades and even better memories. I have met great people in both my second and third year, from Huddersfield locals to international students. I have met many kind students who I have had the pleasure of collaborating with, helping, and being helped by. Even in the first year, I had a discord server where my coursemates and I would help each other using chat rooms dedicated to different modules.
This is the walk I often take between University Plaza and the Spärck Jones Building. On this walk I pass the Laura Annie Willson building which is home to my school's research facilities and a whole load of incredible facilities!I would recommend the University of Huddersfield to anyone looking to extend their knowledge in computing and IT, as the University has its very own computer science society based within the Students' Union for anyone wanting to make new friends and expand their computing knowledge outside of class. Then, as a final-year student I was pleased to discover that our third-year project will be looked over by the BCS (British Computing Society). If you decide to take a placement year, the University works with plenty of great companies enabling you to apply your knowledge to the real world.
Which University?
If you're still unsure which university to choose then there are more articles by students about how they chose their course and university.