Astrid Bowser

"Communication in any career is crucial. It's how we learn, how we solve problems, how we make friends in and out of work, how we grow in confidence and how we come up with ideas. I am a strong communicator and love talking with anyone. I love to solve problems with a team of diverse and skilled individuals who all contribute towards the same goal. "

"I am a Senior Product Manager for a large, ambitious software company. I evolve ideas to develop software products to make what we offer meet the needs of my customers. I work with my internal team and customers to learn how my products are being used, what is working well, what could be better and what new ideas come from understanding the market and how my customer's needs evolve. It's exceptionally rewarding to see an idea with a strong business case come to life and have my customers using the new development. The starting salary for this role outside of London is £30,000. "

"When I graduated in Computer Science, I went to work for a large US tech company called Sun Microsystems as an Account Manager. Being an Account Manager is great because you get to learn how and why customers use software and hardware to make their business better! This was really useful when I finished studying. I then went to work for a start up with a very small team which was where I really enjoyed myself and learned so much about running and growing a business. After 12 years we were really fortunate our great start up was recognised by Advanced who bought the business (known as an acquisition)! I'm now very fortunate to work for a large, innovative and ambitious tech company who value what I do. It's not all been tech though! Working in any role is super helpful to learn how business works and all the different ways you can earn money and have fun to have a great life! My first job when I was 15 was making sandwiches in a little café, then getting work experience at major companies like Jaguar Land Rover and Cummins Engines. I used to love working in pubs and restaurants as soon as I was old enough while I was studying because the hours were great around college and university and you could earn some good tips! My favourite job however was being a DJ in rock clubs while I was studying as it was like being paid to go out and listen to my favourite music! "

"It is super important to find ways to keep your life and head balanced as sometimes work can be tough. I'm in an office and working at a computer so I like to spend time doing the opposite - no technology, in nature and around animals. My dog loves long walks in the countryside and I absolutely love horse riding when I can! "

"No two days are the same being a Product Manager. Product Managers essentially are managing one or more projects at a time to make sure their product that can be sold and used by customers gets better and better. I would attend meetings with customers, developers, project managers, support teams and suppliers. I create plans that demonstrate how an idea to make the product better will make the company more money and/or improve customer satisfaction so that they stay customers for longer and recommend us to others. Sometimes I attend site visits and events to meet my customers.The day before I would try exceptionally hard to think about what I want to achieve for the next day and write a plan. It makes it much easier to start the day with a positive attitude and feel a sense of achievement knowing what I did at the end of the day! "

"BSc - Computer Science with work experience - University of ManchesterMBA - Masters in Business - University of Warwick "