Abbad Minhas from Pakistan discusses why he studied both his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at London Met.
What aspects of the two courses interested you the most?
I am from Lahore, Pakistan and I started my higher education journey at London Metropolitan University studying BSc Computer Science in which I achieved 1st class honours. Subsequently, I was awarded a full scholarship to study MSc Digital Communication Networks. My final-year projects for both my undergraduate and postgraduate courses were Java-related. For my undergraduate degree, I created an international recruitment system using J2EE and J2ME technologies. Building upon this success I was able to extend Hades interface simulation framework, also written in Java as a part of my postgraduate project.
Can you tell us about your career since graduation?
I was offered work as a software developer before leaving university and have worked in various different organisations such as Dods, Cerner and the NHS in varying roles from pure development leading through to project management since then.
I now work as a Senior Integration Consultant for ReStart Consulting, mainly involved in healthcare IT integration projects.
One of the most valuable lessons I have learnt over the last 12 years though my education and work is to commit myself to constant and never-ending improvement, as it is the key to happiness in the long run. The future is very promising for skilled individuals, especially programmers – and having a balanced attitude ensures we are able to do what we love for longer, with more enthusiasm and feel satisfied at the end of our working days.
What are your top tips for students?
My recommendation to current students is to strive for good marks in their degrees but more importantly take interest and study for the sake of learning; not just obtaining a degree because if the former is done correctly, it leads to the latter automatically.
Travel if possible during holidays to appreciate different cultures. Making friends from different backgrounds allows us to see the world from new perspectives and broaden our thinking, as that will undoubtedly help us to not only be good at our jobs, but also to help in our personal lives and relationships with friends and family.
