Graduate Case Study
Software Professional Course - Mark Baxter Case
Study
The IT industry in Northern Ireland is thriving despite the
current doom and gloom of the 'credit crunch' - a time when
many other industries are suffering from reduced
cash-flow. Extensive research has revealed that, over the
next 15 years, the IT industry in Northern Ireland is forecast
to grow at more than three times the rate of overall employment
growth. As a result around 2,000 people are needed each
year to enter the IT workforce, filling high added value
roles.
Northern Ireland's ICT industry now employs more people than
ever before. With companies increasingly turning to IT
solutions to help reduce costs and improve efficiencies locally
based IT organizations are aggressively recruiting qualified
graduates to meet these growing demands. This being the case
the Software Professional Course (SPC) can in effect become a
student's passport to the future.
Completing the SPC has already significantly enriched the
lives of a number of NI graduates, from a wide range of
disciplines, who struggled to find positions in their chosen
degree subjects following graduation.
Mark Baxter, a software engineer at ICS Computing, is
testimony to how re-evaluating one's career path and pursuing
another avenue can reap dividends for ambitious graduates in
search of a challenging and rewarding career.
''I had graduated just over a year when I heard about the
course. My degree was in Creative Multimedia at Queens and I
had found it hard to get a job within the design industry
despite numerous interviews and I was working as a sales
assistant in a shop'' explains Mark who admits to having
reservations about working in the IT industry when he and a
friend first discovered an online advertisement for the
course.
'' While I was initially unsure about a career in IT I knew
friends who were in the industry and were enjoying their jobs
and being paid very well. As my degree was quite creative I was
worried that programming would be unexciting and boring. I was
glad to be proven wrong.''
When he enrolled for the course Mark had no expectations
other than knowing that the course aimed to train graduates for
roles in the IT industry. He had no previous experience
of programming but this didn't hinder his progress in any way
as the course is specifically designed for applicants from a
variety of backgrounds and disciplines to help graduates hit
the ground running in their new careers.
''Not only does the course provide you with the skills
needed to get a job in the IT industry; it also arranges job
interviews with potential employers. In many ways the hard work
has been done for you. I already had a confirmed job offer by
the time the course finished and had started my new job with
ICS Computing just over a week after the course had ended.
''
Since joining the team at ICS Computing as a software
engineer Mark has been working with a lot of different
languages and technologies including ASP.net, AJAX, Microsoft
Silverlight and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and
states his work on this project in particular has been a recent
highlight of his career.
''I had to give a presentation to the division on the WPF
application I had been developing and it was great to see
people's reactions. Although I was very nervous about speaking
to such a large group of people the feedback was overwhelmingly
positive. It was a real affirmation that I'd made the right
decision by enrolling on the course and taking the position
offered by ICS.''
Not only is Mark being challenged and experiencing a high
level of job satisfaction but his new career direction has had
a huge impact on many other aspects of his life.
''I would recommend the course without hesitation. Through
the course I got my job with ICS and that has allowed me to buy
a house and fulfill many of my goals. My fiancé and I are now
beginning to plan our wedding and none of this would be
possible if it wasn't for the SPC. Successfully completing the
SPC has been a really positive life changing experience.''
