Jessica McMillen

"I am an Associate Systems Engineer currently part of the Earn as You Learn apprenticeship scheme in Kainos. As part of the apprenticeship scheme, I am studying a BSc (Hons) degree in Computing Systems part time. This has been a great opportunity for me, providing real world industry experience while gaining an university degree. The personality types identified for myself are all reflective of me as a person. I am highly motivated and I am always keen to take on new challenges to get as much out of my work and university experience as I can. I communicate well with others and enjoy working as a team. I am organised and reliable and think outside of the box to solve issues daily. I always provide the best support I can with patience, respect and a polite attitude which is very important in my role. "

"As a Systems Support Engineer, I provide internal IT support for my company's employees. I am responsible for providing support on hardware and software issues that may occur and also improving processes within the company. My role provides me with lots of different opportunities and every day is different which is what I enjoy most. You learn something new every day as there is always a new issue to provide support for which you start off troubleshooting and then proceed to find a solution to fix the issue. I get to meet and work with a lot of people in the company due to the nature of my role. My role has allowed me to specialise and train in hardware repairs and this has been a great opportunity for my career development. "

"In secondary school, I always performed better in STEM subjects. I chose my GCSE's and A Levels based on this, choosing to study ICT, Technology & Design and Business. I applied for IT related degrees at different universities but decided to study a Foundation Degree in Software Engineering as I wasn't sure what area of IT I wanted to focus on. After studying the Foundation Degree for two years, I applied for the Earn as You Learn apprenticeship scheme in Kainos and got a place on it. As I had my Foundation Degree, I was able to progress on to second year of the Computing Systems course and I am now currently in fourth year with one more year left before completing the degree. I study at university one day a week and work the other four days. It's great to get the industry experience which really complements the teaching at university."

"When I'm not working and studying, I enjoy getting outdoors and photography. I combine both of these in my free time and like to get out exploring new places with friends and family. This is a great way for me to focus on something fun and stay active."

"A typical day for me starts off with reviewing my assigned tasks for the day. These tasks can include working on improving our processes or support requests by employees in the company who are experiencing issues with their software or hardware. I plan and take part in troubleshooting sessions with the users to determine the issue and then do some research if I don't already have the knowledge on how to fix the issue. I then work with the user to resolve the issue for them. This gives me opportunities to speak to different people in the company which I really enjoy. I attend team meetings which we have every other day for updates on what is going on in the team and to raise any issues we may be having. I get to work with my colleagues to share ideas on issues and this makes the job really collaborative. I also specialise in physical hardware repairs which has been something I can learn and develop myself in. The tasks and support issues I am working on are all different which means it keeps the job interesting as I learn something new every day! "

"I studied A Level ICT, Technology & Design and Business Studies. I went on to complete a Foundation Degree in Software Engineering at Belfast Met.I am now currently studying a part-time BSc (Hons) degree in Computing Systems at Ulster University as part of a Higher Level Apprenticeship with Kainos."