Build a digital portfolio for your future career

Studying the BSc in Computer Science with the University of London will give you the opportunity to build an impressive digital portfolio of work that you can show to potential future employers, putting you head and shoulders above the competition.

Perhaps one of the biggest selling points of the programme, developed by the University of London in partnership with member institution, Goldsmiths, is the project-based learning opportunities. From group work with students based across the world to your final project, you will be given regular tasks designed to put your new skills into practice.

What is useful about a degree programme is the opportunity it gives you to be able to demonstrate your skills through a portfolio of work. That, combined with the options of collaborating with other people online or self-publishing your own games, gives employers a chance to see what you can really do.

Mike Allender has worked in the computer games industry for more than 15 years, including roles at UK-based companies Jagex and King, and is the founder of Dinomyte Games. When looking to make a hire, it isn’t just the candidate’s qualifications he focuses on.

Mike said: “Having a degree isn’t the most important thing for me. But what is useful about a degree programme is the opportunity it gives you to be able to demonstrate your skills through a portfolio of work. That, combined with the options of collaborating with other people online or self-publishing your own games, gives employers a chance to see what you can really do."

We spoke to a student who completed the Goldsmiths on-campus degree in London to find out how she chose to use what she had learned in a creative final project.

Elisabetta Motta studied the BSc in Creative Computing and in her final year she decided to develop a circuit board made from felt to enable primary school children to learn about electronics. The project, ‘Felt-e’, was designed as a potential new resource for teaching physical computing to children.

Elisabetta said: “My research in primary schools found that teachers in computing lessons often lack the resources and time to enthuse young boys and girls about the subject. Felt-e provides a unique, hands on experience for kids and allows them to be creative while learning about electronics. It’s also a resource that’s easy to understand for teachers who might be unfamiliar with computing.”

Elisabetta surveyed a number of teachers during her initial research, exploring the frustrations of many Key Stage 1 and 2 teachers around the lack of computing knowledge and pressures to prioritise literacy and mathematics.

A common theme in the feedback she gathered was that it was difficult to keep pupils focused, especially with a lack of resources to run hands-on activities. Elisabetta was inspired to design the Felt-e board.

With a similar layout to a breadboard – a commonly used electronic tool which allows the user to lay out components – Felt-e includes two bus strips and ten terminal strips, each with metallic poppers, to which the user can connect ‘wires’ and other components.

The components are made from white felt with drawings of the relevant electronic symbol on one side and positive and negative signs on each end. The circuit is also compatible with micro controllers, including the BBC micro:bit.

Elisabetta added: “Felt-e is great for cross-curricular activities, covering aims set in the National Curriculum for Design and Technology, Science and Computing.”

Feeling inspired? Find out how you can start building your own career profile with a BSc in Computer Science from the University of London.