Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

Management of team members & leading development across a number of software systems.

A typical day involves spending a significant amount of time implementing new features for the software system which is produced by the team. As developers, we are responsible for producing designs of the features prior to implementation and are involved in designs submitted by other members of the team.

I find the ability to 'create' to be an amazing aspect to the job. The software often needs new features which often require a decent amount of thought before they can be successfully implemented.

It can be very easy to detrimentally affect areas of the software system when new features are introduced. Thinking about where this may happen and trying to prevent it can be very difficult.

There is a sense of satisfaction in the relatively quick turn-around of feature development.

Many of the skills I picked up in my undergraduate degree - including the ability to pick up new software languages relatively quickly, as well as needing to be able to interpret other people's code.

Not a lot.

I completed an undergraduate degree at Sheffield Uni, which (following a very brief stint in employment) was followed by the PhD. Upon completion, I began working for ZOO Digital Group PLC as a Software Engineer and have progressed from that position to a Senior Software Engineer and then to the position I hold now; Lead Software Engineer.

I currently have no plans to increase the number of qualifications I have. I am satisfied to continue to progress along my career path, gaining experience in a multitude of languages & platforms as I go.

Ensure you have interests which lie outside the realm of the degree course. Gain as much experience as possible on real-world projects (or approximations of) prior to applying for jobs. Have a CV which looks professional and stands out.