Where did you go to school / college before coming to Darlington College?
Risedale Sports and Community College
What attracted you to Darlington College?
Locality. The only college nearby that offered a course I could see taking me somewhere.
What do you enjoy about your course?
I enjoyed the practical lessons and hands-on experience. I learned more than what was just taught in the lessons; using the IT hardware and software used in the real world. I was given the opportunity to complete the Microsoft Office Specialist certificates for Word, Excel and PowerPoint and was a 2021 Finalist for the UK and Ireland Championship.
What are your career aspirations?
At the moment I am wanting to start in a first line IT technician support position at an organisation like a school, to allow me to start at the bottom and gain experience and work my way up, although that may change after university.
What is the next step in your education or work?
To progress to Teesside University in Middlesbrough to further my studies of IT and networking. To pursue a career after that in IT support, networking or apply my skills elsewhere if my interests change.
How did the course prepare you for your next step?
The course opened my eyes to opportunities and career paths based on what I liked specifically in the units. We had frequent talks from former students who are employed in many different roles including remote IT help desk, network infrastructure design, to Digital Forensics and they shared their experiences and how they got from Darlington College to where they are now.
What advice would you give to other students?
It is very hard to actually fail unless you are actively wanting to. Don’t get gloomy if you make a mistake and if you mess up, hey, stuff happens the tutors will say that this is the place to learn from those mistakes. Have fun with your learning, get creative with your ideas don’t just follow the script try new things while you are at college; some people are looking for creativity and character instead of doing everything by the book.
