Simon left sixth form without knowing what he wanted do in the future
Finance Company
He began working in a large finance company
A career change
Simon realised that he didn't want to continue working in the finance industry and instead wanted to make better use of his programming skills
Back to school
Simon changed his career in his twenties and worked hard to achieve a Higher National Diploma in Computing, an A-level in Mathematics at night school, and then Computer Science with Mathematics at the Open University
Embedded Software Engineer
"I really love my job as an Embedded Software Engineer, as I get to be a part of inventing the technology of the future, and I think that’s pretty cool" - Simon
Meet Simon
My name is Simon, originally from Birmingham but now living in Worcestershire working as an Embedded Software Engineer for Amiosec, an company that specialises in creative cyber security solutions.
When not staying at home to keep my family and friends safe from COVID-19, riding motorbikes and outdoor activities such as trail running, rock climbing, mountain biking and snow boarding would be my way to unwind.
Embedded Software Engineers can take great pride in designing and developing cyber security solutions, knowing that these products make peoples lives safer.
Looking back over my career there are some exciting projects and pieces of advice which you may find interesting when thinking about what career to go into.
My education
After leaving sixth form college without being entirely sure what to do next, I found myself working in a large finance company being steered towards a training scheme which I realised wasn't what I wanted to do.
Realising my knack for programming computers through trying to write computer games in my spare time and automating many of the daily tasks in my day job helped to steer my career in a different direction.
Changing your career direction in your twenties is not easy. For me it involved a Higher National Diploma in Computing as a mature student, studying an A-level in Mathematics at night school, before studying Computer Science with Mathematics at the Open University. Going to university straight from sixth form college would have been an easier route, but may have led me down a very different path.
Embedded Software Engineer
Being an engineer is great because you get to make cool stuff! When you see something you have worked on make its public debut the feeling is one of indescribable elation and pride. For me the appearance of the Airbus A350 XWB (Extra Wide Body) on the news after its commercial release was incredible.
When you have been working on something for a long time, seeing it “out in the wild” is a great experience – such as a chance encounter while waiting for my cars MOT, in the corner of the garage was a device which I had written parts of the User Interface. To my disappointment they did not have the extra Wi-Fi module, which had taken several weeks for me to write the installation wizard for.
Other embedded systems from my career history include Engine Management Systems for Jet Aircraft, Railtrack Geometry Measuring Systems, Automotive Fault Diagnostic Equipment, and a Kidney Dialysis Machine.
Meet Joe
I have been a Software Engineer at CACI for over a year now, before I worked at CACI I was a student at Cardiff University studying Computer Science.
Whilst at university I volunteered as a student mentor, advising first-year students with any questions they had about university life and the course.
I also worked as a teaching assistant for other computer science students for various modules in the course, in addition to this I was a STEM Ambassador running workshops and teaching younger children the value of STEM subjects.
Software Engineer
Through doing STEM work at university and now at CACI, we can aim to help diversify and reduce stereotypes within the Cyber Security and Computer Science fields.
I’m very interested in the area of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, especially when it comes to various biases that can occur when working with them and have written an article about the mitigation of unwanted bias within ML/AI algorithms.
