Louise Downer
IT Architect, IBM 
"You'll get out of Southampton Solent University everything that you are willing to put in. Make the most of the industrial placement year - it's an easy way to put you ahead of the competition."
Course attended:
BSc (Hons) Business Information Technology|
Louise joined Southampton Solent University, not sure about whether she wanted to pursue a career in IT or Business. A degree in Business Information Technology seemed the best choice, as the four-year sandwich course combined the best of both. The course had just the right mixture to cover all the basics of business (from marketing, operations, human resources through to finance), coupled with practical exposures to a number of different IT applications packages. The industrial placement year in the third year of the degree was a great opportunity for applying the skills attained from the course and gaining valuable work experience at the same time.
Louise started on IBM's graduate foundation scheme, immediately after her degree. Her place on the scheme was secured by the 12-month placement as an industrial trainee and by passing various assessment centres and interviews. Since then, she has worked on the mmO2 Companion Project, IBM's largest project in Europe, in providing software management configuration support. IBM has a formal career progression scheme, and Louise is now working towards becoming an accredited IT Architect.
Louise says:
"There are often misconceptions that just having a degree will put you above the rest when it comes to searching for your first job. It is important to be able to support your educational achievements with at least 12-months experience in the industry. And this definitely goes a long way."
Go to the BSc (Hons) Business Information Technology| course page.