Your degree isn’t enough: my advice to students

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A degree, whether it be in computer science, software engineering, mathematics or a related field is often marketed as the golden ticket for those wanting a lucrative career in programming. An often extortionately expensive goose that will eventually lay golden eggs for years to come.

While it’s absolutely true that a degree has serious value in technical career paths, it should be noted that students on a degree programme should not see three to four years of study as a silver bullet. Plenty of students will get a job with just their degree and nothing more, yes, but as the barrier of entry to many development and IT jobs lowers and university students face increasing competition from apprentices, boot camp graduates, and completely self-taught developers, there is no room for complacency.

What do you know?

Throughout my time in academia, I’ve had the good pleasure of advising plenty of students on their next steps and what they can do to maximise their time as an undergraduate. I’ve been on careers panels, representing former employers and universities. I’ve had the opportunity to learn directly from senior developers and recruiters from a range of amazing companies including Google, Oracle, Amadeus, and Network Rail on what they’re looking out for and how they curate CVs (resumes). I currently work in education now; passing the mantle and routinely guiding and assisting students with their own professional development and learning journeys.

Of course, don’t accept my word as Gospel. I encourage you to do your own research, talk to your university’s career service(s), and to other senior developers and recruiters you network with. Everyone has unique perspectives to share and your mileage will always vary. Finally, it’s important to note that I speak from the perspective of someone within the British education system, so things can be different elsewhere, such as in Africa or in North America.

A tiny word of caution

I realise that by writing this article some might try to mimic me directly or curate my GitHub or other portfolios to see whether I can stick to my own advice.

Do what I say, not what I do.

I’m not always a great model to follow directly, given that my intentions have always been different and that I never intended to work as a full-time web developer given my interests and passions lie elsewhere. I’m an academic first and foremost. That being said, I routinely help people reach those goals, so let’s get started.

1) Complete projects and portfolios

You hear this all the time on self-taught guides and other tutorials on how to work in software engineering or to become a developer. Students with a formal CS background are not exempt from this. University teaches computer science and a lot of theoretical skills, with practical elements here and there. It often doesn’t teach you how to use the latest frameworks and programming languages, which are nevertheless in high demand.

You will often be grilled on how you’ve applied your programming knowledge outside of work/studies and this is a great time to show off the work you’ve done. Uploading your coursework to GitHub isn’t enough here either, though it’s certainly a start. Whether it’s design work, APIs, monolithic web applications, JAMstack websites – whatever – show it off and be prepared to talk about it.

2) Contributing to open source

A quick word on open source. Open-source contributions are frequently seen as brilliant and often favoured even more highly by many recruiters and interviewers as they demonstrate a working knowledge of development workflows and current technologies. That and you know how to confidently use Git.

That being said, contribute to (F)OSS if it interests you. Don’t feel pressured into contributing to a project if it honestly just doesn’t interest you that much. Or worse yet, for a damn t-shirt. There are often other more valuable things you can be doing with your time, such as working on that side project, or…

3) Technical writing and blogging

Writing about what you know, whether it be a tutorial, a thought piece on a specific piece of technology, a guide or discussion, or even a unique piece of research is a fantastic way to demonstrate what you know, potentially what you’re working on, and where your passions lie. It’s also a neat way of building up your own personal network and gives you something to talk about in that important interview.

You could also live stream, podcast, or create a YouTube channel. Whatever medium and format suits your style of expressing yourself.

4) Making use of your university

University is an incredible resource for networking, for getting involved in research, and may even have teaching assistant or demonstrating opportunities for you to take hold of. Research and teaching are especially great to have on a resume, as they both demonstrate a great deal of competence in a certain area, such as in a programming language or field of computing.

It doesn’t all need to be computer science or programming related though. Look for opportunities to be involved in sports and clubs that interest you, or volunteering schemes where you can give back to the local community. Volunteering is especially useful at building soft skills employers are looking for, helps paints you as an empathetic and likeable person, and can even open more doors for paid employment. It happens!

One thing to note though, avoid letting your grades slip because of any of your extracurricular. It’s something I see quite frequently and would encourage people to find a balance as best as they can.

5) Classes and courses

Taking a class or free course in something different can broaden your horizons and help paint you as someone knowledgeable, has a keen desire for learning (which is something developers never stop doing!) and isn’t just someone interested in programming and nothing more.

Learning how to do 3D modelling, a foreign language, or a social science like psychology are all great examples of how you can further spread out your skillset. You can even do these online for free by undertaking a MOOC (massively open online course) on websites such as Coursera.

Alternatively, this is a great time to work through online curricula such as freeCodeCamp or The Odin Project to further bolster your portfolio. If boot campers are doing it, then find some free time to work through them too. They’re great for sharpening the technical skills that your coursework might overlook.

6) Internships and industrial year placements

University students who are looking to compete for the best jobs should look to carry out internships in the summer . There is no better experience than real-world experience, and subsequently, internships are worth their weight in gold. Whilst it’s great to get an internship at a major company, don’t overlook smaller organisations, as the experience is nevertheless a serious advantage and you can learn an incredible amount no matter where you go.

If your university programme or degree scheme offers the ability to take an industrial year placement or a “year out” to work in an extended internship placement (this is common in the UK) then you should seriously consider this. Almost every student I’ve spoken to who has taken such a year before their second and final years of study have attested to just how much they have learned within that year, and how it has recharged them to finish their course. Some high-flying students who impress their employers can even score graduate jobs.

The only exception to all of the above is unpaid internships. If you want to take one, don’t let me stop you, but I strongly believe that they are exploitative and that it’s bullsh*t to have someone live out of pocket just for the experience.

(It’s also not the same as contributing to FOSS or volunteering, which is something you do generally for a good cause or community.)

7) Casual employment

If you can’t secure an internship, please don’t turn your nose up at casual work over the summer, or even part-time whilst you study! Whether it’s teaching, cleaning, barkeeping, or stacking shelves, work experience is work experience and it helps you to develop soft skills and an all-important reference for later.

Again, don’t break your back by earning a paycheque when you should be studying. But I empathise that sometimes it’s necessary to stay financially afloat. Balance is key and hopefully, you can find it.

Conclusion

I hope that you found my advice helpful. It is important to note that this is not the end-all and be-all of all student advice and that there are likely to be important points that I missed, so definitely continue to read here on the Internet and further afield for even more valuable advice!

Improve your browser security in 5 minutes

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Chances are, you do the majority of your work and everyday computer usage through your web browser. It is your portal to the vast majority of what the World Wide Web has to offer, and unfortunately is one of the most common vectors for malicious software or attackers to leverage as they try to break their way in.

Through these quick six steps you can help keep your computer, data, and personal identity secure.

Step 0: Start with the rest of your computer

It doesn’t matter how secure your browser is if the rest of the computer it’s running on is completely insecure. Regardless of whether you use Windows, macOS, or Linux, keep your operating system up-to-date, run up-to-date antimalware software (Yes, that includes Mac users), and only connect to networks you trust. If in doubt, use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to encrypt your communications and help prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.

You can find plenty of good reviews on software online, though personally, I use Kaspersky Internet Security for Windows and Sophos Antivirus for Mac on macOS as my antimalware tools, and NordVPN as my VPN provider.

Finally, please use an up-to-date web browser itself! Chrome/Chromium, Firefox, Opera, Vivaldi, Brave, Edge, and Safari are all sound choices.

Internet Explorer is not a great choice.

Step 1: Use a good adblocker

You probably use an adblocker or already, or have one baked into your browser. If it works for you, great, otherwise consider using an adblocker such as uBlock Origin. The vast majority of ads are probably safe, but “malvertising” is on the rise, and more websites that your browser connects to simply introduces additional risks, not just from malicious software and scripts but unnecessary tracking also.

If you want to support people online, such as a favourite YouTuber or streamer, you can disable it for those websites that you trust! Alternatively, consider supporting them through another means such as a small donation or by buying them a coffee.

Step 2: Remove unnecessary plugins and extensions

Extensions aren’t always kept up-to-date by their developers, so if you’re not using them, you should probably get rid of them. You should only be installing them from trustworthy places too, such as your browser’s official extension page.

Plugins such as Flash Player, Java, and Silverlight are notorious for introducing additional risks and are the common cause of many malware attacks even on modern web browsers and computers. Keep them disabled, or better yet, remove them entirely if you don’t need them. Remember, the key is reducing the number of exploitable vectors.

If you’re really concerned about security, you can consider a plugin such as NoScript to selectively enable and disable JavaScript on websites.

Step 3: Take your privacy back into your own hands

Privacy plugins such as Privacy Badger can help block trackers in conjunction with your adblocker. If you use Firefox, using Facebook Container is a great way of keeping Facebook’s omnipresent nose out of what you do online and to help stop them from targeting you with ads when you do use their services. You should also enable Do Not Track in your browser’s settings.

HTTPS Everywhere is a must-have extension across all browsers to ensure that your Internet sessions are always HTTPS secure and don’t get downgraded to unencrypted connections. If you use Brave, you’ll find it built-in already.

Finally, ensure that these protective extensions are available in Incognito / Private browsing, as often all extensions are disabled in said mode. While this is understandable to stop any logs being made of your browsing whilst using incognito, it also does mean that these protections are lost, potentially when you need them the most.

Step 4: Use unique passwords and a password manager

Whether you rely on your browser’s password manager or use a tool such as LastPass, KeePassXC, or 1Password ensure that you use different, secure passwords on each website you visit.

Using a website such as Have I Been Pwned run by cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt can help you know when your password has been leaked, and potentially where from.

Step 5: Common sense is everything

It probably goes without saying that your own common sense and good judgement are the most important steps to keeping your computer clean of any nasties whilst you browse the Internet.

Steering clear of illegal or unsavoury content such as pirated movies is the golden ticket, as they account for the vast majority of infected websites. Be careful what you click on, and be especially careful when entering your credentials or passwords into websites, even if they look real!

Check the address bar every time!

Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed my quick guide to improving your security as you browse the Internet. As computers and the web become even greater components of our lives, so does the importance of ensuring our interactions with it along with our data are secure and protected, as failing to do so can have real-world ramifications for both you and your workplace.

I look forward to your comments and I’d be more than happy to add your suggestions, especially for products and extensions to the article. Thanks for reading and until next time.