I have been interested in I.C.T. and the impact it has on people’s lives since the day my family got our first P.C. a 486Mhz processor P.C. Obviously at the time this was thought to be at the fore front of the computing world, but due to how quickly technology has evolved, times have changed.
Having studied, I have become more and more interested not only in the impact it has on people’s lives, but the huge impact it has and can have on the business world. During my I.C.T. A-level, I spent time designing and creating an information system to be used by a real end-user. I found this to be the highlight of my two year course and was particularly interested in the detailed processes that have to be undertaken by teams within an organisation, in order to initiate a fully functional system.
My reason for choosing this course is clear, both business and I.C.T. affect all of us in our everyday lives. Although both subjects are somewhat demanding, I find them extremely interesting and I am confident that a degree combining both of them is the correct choice to enable me to begin a career in an area that I will enjoy.
I represented my school at rugby at all levels and also had the opportunity to undertake some uncommon activities at school. These included archery, sailing, rifle shooting and wind surfing. I was also lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend a one-week windsurfing course during which I achieved my level one windsurfing qualification. In my spare time I enjoy a wide range of sporting activities. These include: football, pool, snooker and snowboarding. I will be hoping to pursue my sporting activities whilst at university.
I have managed to gain some vital work experience in the years between my time in education. This involved learning different techniques in order for me to be able to carry out a range of tree care practices. Following on from my time spent as a Tree surgeon, I worked at Sainsbury's for two years. Whilst at Sainsbury's, I worked as a checkout operator, replenishment assistant and also as a counter assistant. This job really helped me to improve my communication and sales skills and has given me more confidence in dealing with members of the public. I have also spent a year working at my local Marks and Spencer store as a Bureau de Change assistant, where I had to help cutomers who were looking to exchange currency and also help with the ordering and counting of currencies. I found that this job helped my accuracy of administration work as well as my attention to detail. I also feel, that again, this job advanced my people skills. Finally, I spent nine months working for AXA Insurance as a customer service representative. This position involved dealing with Insurance brokers and answering underwriting enquiries relating to household insurance products. I also spent time liaising with the AXA Technical Underwriting team to determine a decision for any more complicated problems. I truly believe that this experience has allowed me to gain invaluable experience in an office environment and working efficiently and effectively as part of a team.