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Charles Bernard, BSc (Hons) Internet Computing, International student
After completing a BSc in Mathematics in France and several years' experience working in IT in France, Charles wanted to specialise in programmingHe'd decided that was the area he really wanted to work in. Charles had always wanted to study abroad, especially in the UK. After spending time searching for courses across the UK that met his criteria, he chose the BSc (Hons) Internet Computing course at LSBU.
Placement
On his industrial placement, Charles worked at a web agency based in Putney. His role was as a junior LAMP developer working under the direction of the system architect and the software development manager. His main task was to improve and adapt their content management software to meet the clients' business requirements. This role required high-level object-oriented and web database programming skills as well as software architecture skills. Day-to-day tasks required a good knowledge of PHP, SQL, HTML, CSS, XHTML, JavaScript, AJAX, and XML.
Charles' role also involved managing different web projects; from gathering business requirements and software specifications to client account management. He was lead developer on several projects. "While on placement I was allowed to be part of the team and everything went really well. I did not need to get in touch with my mentor at LSBU, except to tell her everything was OK and I was enjoying myself."
Charles is very proud of the placement he completed. He explains, "It was really beneficial for my future and taught me that I made the right choice and really did want to work in this area. I learnt so much over that year, things you don't learn from books."
Practice-rich course content
On the course, all the theory they were taught was backed up with practical exercises – exactly what Charles was looking for. "I am more a learner by example than by books. All the programming related courses were the ones I enjoyed the most. It sounds a bit geeky, but I just like programming computers and building software. All the modules were really interesting and very close to what I've been asked to do during my professional life. Also, all the lecturers were available for any concerns I had."
After graduating
What was ideal about the course for Charles was that the content of the modules closely matched the professional needs desired by IT companies. This has helped his prospects after graduating. He is now a freelance software engineer working on various projects around smart grids, data warehousing and analytics for a major utility company in France. "The quality of the teaching content is very valuable in my day-to-day tasks. More than this though, LSBU has given me the right tools to constantly improve myself by self-teaching."