The wealth of career opportunities that are open to IT graduates was highlighted to school pupils from across Scotland at a special event held by Robert Gordon University (RGU) this week.
Pupils from Westhill, Ellon, Kemnay, Kincorth and Breadalbane Academies attended the Pathways to Professional IT event, which saw them take part in speed networking sessions with undergraduate students and IT professionals currently working in the industry.
The event was aimed at helping pupils understand the range of jobs that a degree in computing could lead to and which courses would support them towards securing a particular role.
RGU students and representatives from Atlas, Independent Data Services (IDS), IBM and Dynamic Edge were on hand to talk about their own experiences and answer any queries the pupils had.
Gregor Marston (16), who attends Kemnay Academy, said: “It has been really useful. I’ve found out about the range of jobs that are available and the courses that I would need to go for to get into certain jobs. IT is an area that I’m interested in going into after school and this has helped me realise that I probably do want to go on and study it.”
Harry Murdoch (16), a pupil at Breadalbane Academy, said: “It has been an interesting day so far. It has been useful to talk to the students and the professionals, as I didn’t know the outcomes that I could get to with a computing degree.
“At school, everything is very much focused around the subjects themselves, there isn’t much focus on what that subject could help you go on to do after you leave school. I have a clearer idea now of what jobs are available and what I need to do to get into certain jobs.”
Colin Dawson, Program Manager at IDS, said: “For me it is about creating the next layer of IT visionaries and it is great to be a part of what they’re learning and helping them get excited about working in IT.
“I don’t think pupils are as aware as they could be of the opportunities that exist in the sector and a lot of that is down to schools and teachers themselves not being aware.
“Schools can do a better job of pushing the word out for the sector – I think it is a missed opportunity. Events like these help to bridge the gaps that currently exist and that is why they are important.”
Associate Head of the School of Computing Science and Digital Media at RGU, David Davidson, said: “We welcome the chance to offer potential applicants the opportunity to gain a real world impression of where a career in computing can lead. It is important that pupils get the best career advice and advice based on real world experience.”