Have you ever thought about talking to technology?

Would it not be fun to ask your TV the forecast for tomorrow or maybe tell your computer to find the spelling mistakes in the essay you’ve been working on?

Well, that is exactly what we – the computing students – do, we talk to computers, we interact with technology. More than that, we seek to understand it and we try to make it useful for us and for you. That is why we chose to do a computing degree, because we love technology, we’re passionate about it. What about you? Are you?

If you are thinking about pursuing a computing degree you may want to know that here at Bournemouth University, you have the possibility to focus on specific parts of the computing world, the parts that you like the most. There are six of them and they are all from the same faculty – we like to call it Sci-Tech!

Here is the list of the computing courses:

• • BSc (Hons) – Business Information Technology
  • BSc (Hons) – Computer Networks
  • BSc (Hons) – Computing
  • BSc (Hons) – Cyber Security Management
  • BSc (Hons) – Forensic Computing and Security
  • BSc (Hons) – Information Technology Management
  • BSc (Hons) – Software Engineering

I went for Software Engineering, but in the first year, all the units are shared across all degrees allowing you to gain insight into the Computing framework and to get a better idea of what part you would like to specialize in. You can choose which course is best for you, thus making it easy for you to switch pathways in the second year as long as they are within the framework.

Now I know what you may be thinking- yes, right, right, all good, but how do I prepare for this?

First, do your research! Make sure you know what to expect and then you might want to consider bringing your own laptop. BU has a lot of labs and there are many excellent facilities equipped for you to work on whenever you need, but you may prefer to work in the comfort of your accommodation, from the beach or wherever you feel like. A laptop makes that possible for you.

How about reading beforehand? Will that be useful? I would suggest reading …and maybe to watch movies/documentaries about the technology, about hackers, or whatever aspect you’re interested in. Do anything to make sure you get a hype and don’t stop there, go ahead and set some goals, create a reminder of why you chose to do this because those things are what matter the most and they will most likely be also what will keep you on track at all times.

If you are going to start on a new path, you have to have the drive and dedication to succeed until the end.