Enoch Ayodele from Westminster Kingsway College completed his internship at Arcadis in the Business Transformation team. Hear about how this experience helped him feel prepared to pursue his passion in computer science.
Before the Career Ready programme, Enoch knew he wanted to pursue a career in tech but felt limited by what he knew about careers in this subject area.
“I want to study computer science at university, but I didn’t know how I could actually use it in a job. As far as I was aware, my only option was to be a software engineer – a job that seemed quite isolating.”
But during his four-week internship at Arcadis, the Business Transformation team fostered his interest in tech and dispelled myths surrounding the industry.
“My internship was really helpful because it showed me that if I get a computer science degree, it doesn’t mean I have to be a software engineer. It can be applicable across so many industries, especially consulting. My time with Arcadis really showed me how we can use tech in consulting to help businesses improve and grow.”
Putting knowledge into practice
During his internship, Enoch got the opportunity to use skills he’d learnt at school to solve real-life problems creatively, helping to come up with systematic strategies for clients.
“The thing I enjoyed most was the opportunity to work on live client work – researching and trying to figure things out that were affecting real people. The work I do at school is mostly theoretical or prototyped, so the opportunity to contribute to something that will create real impact felt very rewarding.”
Building skills for the workplace
Looking forward to his future in tech, Enoch reflected on the skills he’s been able to build during his internship, especially his ‘soft skills’.
“My communication skills have gotten much better because of my internship. My communication style before could be quite systematic and focused, and I noticed that sometimes I would focus on a task too much and kind of disregard how other people may be feeling around me. But this experience has taught me how important it is to consider other people’s thoughts and feelings, and how to create an environment where they feel safe to express themselves.”
A positive mindset for the future
Before his internship, Enoch was unsure of what his career might look like, but after his experiences of the world of work, is looking forward to pursuing his passion in computer science.
“I’m more optimistic about my future and going into tech industry now, because I know that I’m not limited to one path – I have options and can work across a range of roles and industries that make an impact on the end user.”
From a personal point of view, he highlights how the programme has helped him become more well-rounded and transformed his mindset when it comes to his future.
“We’re always changing as humans, so our passions and what we want to pursue might too – and Career Ready has taught me that if I do want to change my path, I can be flexible to do so. I don’t need to stick to one thing if I don’t want to – I can study computer science at university and end up in a different industry, and that’s okay.”
