My name is Adam Chorley and this is my journey since leaving St.Helens College. I am currently taking part in a year industrial placement at Microsoft in Reading as part of my degree at Liverpool John Moores University.
Life at St Helens College
I started studying at the college in September 2007, enrolled on the BTEC National Diploma for IT Practitioners course. After a great couple of years I had finished my course and graduated with the grade Distinction, Merit, Merit (DMM). I was very pleased with the final mark that I achieved and believe that the set of skills that I had be taught here would be a great platform for the next chapter in my life... University!
I decided that I wanted to continue into higher education and go on to University. After seeing my school friends going off the year before and visiting them and their campuses I realized that I wanted to be a student! I decided that I wanted to go to a University that wasn't far from home but far enough to have some independence, with this in mind I applied to Liverpool John Moores.
Studying at Liverpool John Moores University
The degree I chose to study at LJMU is Computer Studies, this degree covers a broad range of modules which I thought would be the best choice as I am unsure of what field of IT I would like to work in when I graduate. The course is a four year sandwich degree in which the first two years are studying, the third is an industrial placement year which I am currently undertaking, then back to University for a final year of studies before graduating.
Some of the modules I have studied in my time at LJMU are Object Orientated Software Development, Database Design & Connectivity, Computer Architecture & Operating Systems, Web Design and Enterprise Systems Development.
Working for Microsoft
My job title at Microsoft is Associate Solutions Architect in the Mediaroom Department. Mediaroom is Microsoft's TV department, we work with companies all over the world to provide them with TV platforms. Some of the companies that we work with are BT in the UK (BT Vision), Telefonica (Spain and Latin America), Deutsche Telekom in Germany to name a few.
In my short time at Microsoft I have carried out a wide variety of jobs within my role. The main project that I had so far was to manage a Mediaroom IPTV trial platform for Telefonica in Spain, this was a great project to start with as it got me straight into working with customers in a real situation! I have also been lucky enough to travel to Madrid with my colleagues from the department to attend a European team meeting.
