Digital Forensic & E-Disclosure Manager, CCL Group
"Enjoy your time at university but be mindful that computer science is an applied suibject and as such the fundamentals you learn during your time at university are vital."
MSc Computer Security (2007) & BSc Computer Science (2006), School of Computer Science
Please provide a short paragraph detailing how your career has developed since graduating from the University of Birmingham?
On graduating from the University of Birmingham I began working at PricewaterhouseCoopers where I was involved in providing digital forensic support to a number of multinational fraud and bribery investigations. I stayed at PwC for 4 years at which point I moved into a 18 month role helping banks and insurers prevent and detect consumer application fraud. I have now been at CCL for 2 years during which time I have been focussed on supporting the development of the Legal and Corporate markets.
What is the best thing about the job you are doing now?
I enjoy working at a strategic level and being involved in projects at an early stage, planning and overseeing the deployment of a forensic response.
Why did you originally apply to do your chosen course at Birmingham?
I have always had an interest in computers so a degree in Computer Science was the obvious choice for me. During my undergraduate degree I developed an interest in computer security which led me down the route of doing a masters.
What were the best points of your course at the University?
The module that I would say has been of greatest use to me was the encryption module as part of my masters course. Encryption is something I encounter on a daily basis and knowledge of the different systems has proved invaluable.
What advice would you give to current students studying on the course?
University is hard but a full time job is harder! Enjoy your time at university but be mindful that computer science is an applied subject and as such the fundamentals you learn during your time at university are vital. It is very rare in my experience that people are able to foresee exactly what area of computer science they will end up working in, so everything you learn at university has the potential to be relevant to your future career.
How did you grow as a person by studying at the University? Did it change your life in any way?
Undoubtedly, for most people (including myself) it was my first experience of living away from home. In many ways I matured as I learnt to live away from my parents, but equally in many ways I regressed as I made the most of my new found freedom. I made some great friends, many of which I am still in touch with. I still live in Birmingham now and have built my life here, had I attended a different university my life would be totally different.