Using your degree skills in this sector
Wtihin the software development industry there are a large number of roles for software and application development and job titles may not be standard across the industry.
Companies also recruit for other roles within the software project lifecycle. These might include project managers, technical sales and business development consultants, business analysts, and systems analysts.
Some roles are less technical, for example a business analyst might be more involved in understanding client software requirements and communicating these to developers.
This Wikipedia article provides a useful and readable description of roles involved in a typical system lifecycle.
Medium-sized and larger organisations will also require head office personnel such as marketing, HR and finance which graduates from any discipline would be able to apply for.
Computer science students are obviously highly sought-after within this sector, but organisations are also often interested in maths and physics students due to their analytical skills as well as individuals who have programming or IT experience.
A relevant degree is useful but anyone with coding skills and some experience with programming languages should be able to apply.
Many employers are interested in candidates who can show that they have written code in their spare time and are able to pick up new languages.
Some organisations will be happy to train graduates in the particular software they use and are looking more for evidence of good general technical understanding and comptence.
It is also useful to talk about how you can work effectively in teams and communicate to solve problems effectively.
Employers and further study
Work experience
Nottingham computer science students have recently completed year-in-industry placements with companies such as Esendex, Midland HR and Thomson Reuters. YINI, based at University Park, can help you source a year-in-industry placement.
Shorter-term work experience or internships will also help when you are applying. Internship and placement opportunities can be found on Gradcracker, Prospects and Rate My Placement websites, as well as My Career.
We also have the Nottingham Internship Scheme where students from The University of Nottingham are placed in local work experience opportunities during the summer.
As well as formal work experience, it may also be useful for you to gain coding experience through student societies or volunteering. Hacksoc offers opportunities and encourages students from all disciplines to gain coding experience.
Read our blog: Why learning to code will make you future-proof
Graduate entry level roles
Many larger employers such as Microsoft and IBM offer graduate schemes, but some medium-sized employers are also offering roles to graduates on a regular basis.
Employers may prefer a computer science, maths or physics degree, but even for technical roles an interest and some work experience in programming may be sufficient. Search on Gradcracker, Prospects and My Career.
Recruiters from global, national and regional IT organisations attend our careers fairs, as well as other events. These opportunities can be useful for networking and gaining information about the roles they offer.
IT-based organisations may attend the annual Science and Technology Fair, but it's also worth checking companies attending the Careers in Management Fair and the Graduate Jobs Fair.