Hayley Roberts
BSc (Hons) Applied Business Computing 2015
Hayley graduated with a first class degree– and landed a job as Software Developer at Accenture. She is responsible for Developing and troubleshooting software for clients across the globe.
The recent graduate explained: “This software can be something built from scratch or added onto existing software. I currently use the programming languages PHP, SQL, Java, C, and C++ as part of my everyday work.”
Hayley firmly believes that having her research paper published during her final year of study made all the difference when she applied for Accenture. “It put me above the rest of applicants,” Hayley said.
The 22-year-old had never actually planned on going to University but this is a decision she will never regret.
“It was something which rather just happened as I did not feel I was ready for the working world yet. I chose the University of Sunderland for its amazing computing department and it certainly lived up to my expectations.
“My biggest challenge was getting to grips with my dyslexia. This was a huge challenge for me as coding needs good spelling which is something I certainly did not have.”
She continued: “My lectures influenced me a great deal during my course. They provided me with the skills I needed to get my career started in the IT sector. I worked hard to achieve what they believed I could and obtaining my first class degree was mostly down to them.”
Hayley advice to current students on how to get a foot on the career ladder is: “Stick in and believe in yourself. When I first started University I had no confidence and was only aiming for a 2:2. Gaining a First proved that I should set my expectations higher than what I believe I can do. The University will be there every step of the way to help you.”
Hayley’s future plans are to stay with Accenture which allows her to travel and get paid for it. She would like to work her way up the ladder in the company and make something for herself.
In her spare time Hayley likes to go around on her bright green motorbike.
She said: “My abiding memory of Sunderland and my time living in the city was mainly bombing around the city and campus on my bright green motorbike causing mayhem. I certainly know a lot of people have seen me at one time or another causing mischief!”