A Change of Direction to SERC is the Right Move for Amy

The pathway from school to university isn’t always a seamless transition; such was the case for Amy Brown, a current student on the Ulster University Foundation Degree in Computing at SERC, who embarked on an alternative pathway after deciding that leaving university was the right move for her.

Amy, (20) from Bangor says, “I went to Bangor Academy from year eight the whole way up to A Levels. I decided that I wanted to go down the route of ICT, and in 2021 I started Ulster University at the Jordanstown campus. With being in my first year and feeling so new, along with travelling on the train, long days in classes, and covid still going on, it was a huge shock to the system. Due to some family circumstances, my course and everything else seemed to get a bit too much, and the best decision for me was to come away, as I wasn’t making the grades I needed to.

“I thought about what I wanted to do next, and SERC became an option for my ‘back-up’ plan. I came to the SERC careers service to get some advice about my next step, and I spoke with an advisor about doing either a course or an apprenticeship. I decided that I wanted to do a course as this would be more structured and something I could focus on, which led to me enrolling on the Ulster University Foundation Degree in Computing at the Bangor campus. The careers advisor I spoke to was amazing and she really helped me.”

Speaking on her experience at the college, she says, “I like that I’m in a smaller class, as it’s been easier to make friends. My tutors have been very supportive, especially since they ask you questions, see how you’re getting on, and give you extra help. They can focus on you, on a one-to-one basis and really get to know you; compared to university where there are so many students! Before I came to SERC, I had to do a lot of travelling on the train, but having the college so close to home has been handy, and you spend less money than you would do at university.

“During the course, we have had a few businesses come in and tell us more about what they do, which has been great in showing us the business side of the IT industry. The computer facilities in the SPACE building are good, which has also enabled me to catch up on work during study periods, and I recently had the opportunity to go to Portugal for two weeks work experience.”

Concluding, Amy says, “At the moment, I am not sure which area of ICT I would like to go into, but my plan for next year is to get a placement within my course. This should help give me good experience and hopefully lead towards a job offer or help build towards a future job.

“I would recommend SERC for further and higher education, especially if it’s closer to where you are from. SERC is a good place to study if you’re not sure what you want to do, if you have an idea of what you enjoy, or if your original pathway hasn’t gone to plan. The careers advisors are very good, and if you come in and have a chat with them, they can put you on the right path – even if you have no idea whatsoever what you want to do.”

Visit www.serc.ac.uk to unlock your future #BetterOffAtSERC.