Stephen
Computer Science for Cyber Security BSc (Hons)
Exploring my options
"Growing up, I always imagined myself following my dad into the RAF but my experience at the University of Bradford has definitely opened my eyes to other possibilities. I’ve always been a gamer, staying up far too late some nights, and I think that is where my love of computing was born."
Coming to Bradford
"I attended a lot of open days at a variety of universities and I really appreciated the honesty of the students I spoke to at Bradford. It was clear that there’s a pretty close-knit community here and this was something that I felt when I moved into student accommodation.
"In my first year I lived in The Green and loved being so close to my lectures and all of the people I met. My entire house in first year was full of international students which was incredible and really refreshing, especially sampling some international cuisine.
"Despite being local to Bradford, I’ve continued to live with friends in student accommodation and it’s been a real highlight of my time as a student."
Cracking coding
"We learnt to code in Java during my first year. This is something I’ve always wanted to learn but have found it, and the accompanying maths, a real challenge. However, the way it was taught on my Computer Science for Cyber Security course meant I finally cracked it.
"Having second and third year students from the University’s Raspberry Pi society in our lectures was a big help during first year and I was eager to join the society myself.
"That wasn’t the only society I joined and I’ve actually served on the exec committees of five different clubs and societies. This included the Ale, Beer and Cider society which I set up with friends. There are some fantastic local pubs and breweries in Bradford and we always have a great turnout for our events."
Industry project
"I don’t think I always got the balance right between studying and socialising but I’m really grateful for the experiences I’ve enjoyed through my involvement, and I’ve been able to draw on my experience running clubs when applying for placements and work. I think employers increasingly look beyond your degree classification when recruiting and Bradford has given me loads of opportunities.
"One such opportunity was a competition run by Barclays to suggest new features for their banking app. We came up with the idea of having pots of money within your account. The idea won and as well as a gift voucher, we got five days of work experience at Barclays' offices in Manchester. It was here that I got my first professional exposure to cyber security and I have pursued this further during my work placement year."
"I’m just coming to the end of my year with a local cyber security firm. I can’t really talk about the clients I’ve worked with but they’ve included some household names. I’ve worked in a team monitoring networks, looking out for any suspicious activity, such as multiple failed attempts to log in as an administrator.
"I’ve decided to base my final year project on my experience in industry. I’m going to create software that helps to write the rules needed to create cyber security alerts."
Cyber opportunities
"One of the things I love about cyber security is that you can’t stand still. As quick as we can work to neutralise threats, criminals are working on new ways to exploit systems and gain access. I’m still considering the RAF Officer route but I think it will be on the back burner for now until I’ve had a chance to fully explore the opportunities in cyber."