Brockenhurst College | Brock is one of the most successful Sixth Form colleges in the UK, offering A levels, Vocational, Adult Learning, Apprenticeships, Business courses.Jake Baldry
A friend and I spoke about coming to Brock after finishing at Ferndown Upper School. We knew Brock was a popular college and had friends who had studied here. Also, we were interested in sport, and after having a look around we thought Brock would be a good college if we wanted to do a bit of sport on the side.
I was a student at Brock from 2009-2011 and studied the Information Technology Level 3 Diploma.
IT Consultant at IT firm Codeless Platforms
What made you choose to study at Brock?
“A friend and I spoke about coming to Brock after finishing at Ferndown Upper School. We knew Brock was a popular college and had friends who had studied here. Also, we were interested in sport, and after having a look around we thought Brock would be a good college if we wanted to do a bit of sport on the side.”
What were your ‘highlights’ while attending Brock?
“I mainly enjoyed the social aspect of being at college, but I also really enjoyed my course as well and picked up valuable skills that have helped me progress in my career.”
What have you been doing since you left Brock?
“After I finished college I travelled for about 6 months or so. Then I picked up some IT work in France, and also some in Holland, and built up some knowledge there. After that I returned home and registered with a job agency, which is how I came into contact with Codeless Platforms where I have worked since 2012.”
What made you choose your career path?
“Information Technology was a built-in interest for me. When I was young I used to mess around with my Dad’s IT equipment and developed a fascination with broken things. I even broke some of his things on purpose so I could try and work out how to fix them… but don’t tell him. From that, it just became a natural progression for me to study an IT course at college and then get a job in the IT industry.”
What do you like about working in IT?
“The good thing about IT is that the industry is always changing and maturing, and it’s pretty much at the centre of everything that goes on. Anything new that comes out has an element of IT behind it. Working in IT always presents challenges, which makes it all the more interesting, and it pays well, which is a bonus.”
What are your long-term career goals?
“At the moment I work as a consultant, but as time progresses I’d like to move into a more senior role.”
If you could give one piece of advice to students hoping to get into the IT industry, what would it be?
“There are lots of cliché things you could say such as “do your best” and “study hard”, which are obviously important, but the most important thing is to find your niche. Think about what you are naturally interested in and progress with that. I remember being here (at Brock) and it can be daunting when you’re 17/18 and you don’t know what to do… But like I say, when I was here I had an interest in stuff that was broken, so I just followed that interest.”
