Student Spotlight - Emma Douglas
For this week’s Student Spotlight - we have a chat with one of our Computing students, who decided to return to education to begin a new career in IT.
What is your name, and where are you from?
My name is Emma Douglas, and I’m from Perth.
What course are you studying at Perth College UHI, and what year are you currently in?
I’m currently at the end of my Degree, doing Computer Science.
What were you doing before you came to college?
Before college, I was working in retail for ten years. I had finished an Honours Degree in Retail Management in Aberdeen in 2013, and tried to progress in employment after that.
Why did you decide to pick this course?
I decided to pick this course, as I always had an interest in computing since High School. I heard good things about this course at Perth College UHI, and thought it was the best way to get into IT.
What is your favourite thing about the course?
I think it was the lecturers. I felt they had great outside knowledge of the Computing industry, which helped during the course. I also felt they were very supportive compared to my past course in education. I was diagnosed with cancer last year, and I couldn’t believe how supportive they were during my year - making sure I was able to work from home, when I was struggling.
During the pandemic, how did the style of teaching change? Were your lecturers supportive during this time?
The style changed a bit with communicating with everyone online, rather than in person, which was a bit hard. However, I felt the lecturers were supportive at this time - emailing us and video calling, just to give us the support and motivation to carry on.
What do you like about the campus?
I liked how easy was to navigate around the building, and I felt they had great library facilities for a college building.
Have you enjoyed studying at Perth College UHI?
I have enjoyed studying here, and I’m glad I did it.
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of college?
My interests, especially right now, are walking and getting my fitness up after recovering from Chemotherapy.
What are your plans, for after you finish your course?
My plans are to find a job in a Cyber Security role, in either Glasgow or Edinburgh.
And finally, what advice would you give to someone thinking about studying at Perth College UHI?
Do it! It’s the best thing I’ve done. Even if you feel you’re not educated in the subject, the lecturers will provide and take you where you need to be.
