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.

I am on a rotational graduate scheme, so I change teams every few months. My first team was involved with service transition, and I filled a number of administration roles around a major technical upgrade project. This involved collating and analysing data concerned with the progress of the project. I was also involved with software license purchasing, and ran a customer facing service through which employees of the Bank requested new software.
My current role is in database services. My team maintains the databases that store the Bank’s data. We ensure that databases are used correctly by the rest of the Bank, as well as providing help with installation and design.

A typical day in my current team might involve following a SQL installation over a network onto a server, followed by an estate audit of licenses for one of the database types. I might then continue learning T-SQL, the programming language used to query Microsoft SQL Server, before finishing by generating reports on how quickly the team deals with request calls.

The rotational aspect is brilliant as it allows me to gain a wide variety of experience in different areas of IT in the Bank before selecting my favourite and receiving in depth, on the job training in that role. I enjoy the responsibility that I was handed immediately, as well as the opportunities to bring my own contribution to every task.

Dealing with unfamiliar financial terms and concepts can be challenging, but this has not been a big part of my job so far. I probably find dealing with senior people who have been at the Bank for decades and are industry leaders in their respective areas to be the most daunting part of my day to day work, but this is something that I have improved on.

I have always had an interest in technology and computers. This was augmented during my degree with exposure to programming. I also enjoy the idea of the work I do having a direct benefit to the public. The Bank is an organisation that focuses on serving the country, and that appeals to me.

I utilise the problem solving and programming skills I gained as part of my job, as well as my advanced excel skills obtained through years of spreadsheet work. The communications skills that I learnt from both my English Language A level and essay based assessments at university are essential during day to day interaction.

I have received Bank specific training in many vital areas ranging from security to document storage. I also receive team specific training as and when necessary. For example I am currently learning T-SQL and database administration through numerous sources. Training is available on a huge range of subjects as and when it is required.

I went straight into my job from university, and have not gained any qualifications as yet.

Currently I see myself having a long and happy career at the Bank. I feel valued and useful here, and my prospects are excellent. I plan on taking qualifications that are necessary to further my career, but this will depend on what rotations I am still to do and the one that I choose to pursue further. These will probably include ITILL among others.

Every interview I had I gained through a recruitment agency. The best of these will (for no charge to you) listen to what skills you have, what you want from a career and what sector or sectors interest you, and will contact you with job opportunities, as well as helping you through the entire application process. I found their help with the application invaluable.

However, I would also recommend that students research and apply directly to organisations, as not all will work with recruitment agencies. A good place to start to find out about different options are online graduate jobs boards, such as Milkround, TargetJobs or Prospects. From there, you can visit company websites and find out more about the organisations and apply via their application tracking systems.

Importantly, for a large number of careers, you do not need to have a degree subject directly related to the work of the organisation. For the Bank, what is key is that candidates have strong analytical ability and, for those applying to the IT department, an aptitude for IT.

Adrian  MPhys Physics with Astrophysics (2011)
Network Engineer  (Information technology and communications)

Accepts questions from students about their career