As an individual I am drawn towards a challenge and computing, specifically the security side, has always appealed to me.
The fact that it's a constantly changing environment with new systems being developed and
vulnerabilities discovered is what keeps it so interesting. Growing up with my father working
as a police officer has given my an interest in crime prevention. This combined with my
passion for computing has directed me towards this course.

During high school I was part of a group which lobbied local councillors in order to have a skate park built in our village
which led to me recieving an award from the mayor commending my public speaking ability and debate skills. I attended Greenhead College from
2007-2009 and studied Computing, Business Studies, Economics at A-Level and also Mathematics at AS. I'm a logical thinker and I enjoyed my time
 college as the subjects I took stimulated me mentally. I had the chance to apply my programming skills (using delphi with MS Access) to design
and implement a stock-management system in a local bookstore as a part of my A2 project. This gave me valuable experience in dealing with
professional clients and working to meet their requirements. At the end of my first year I shadowed a manager at KPMG accountancy firm which involved me
attending meetings with clients and participating in conference calls. Throughout college I worked part-time as a security guard to save money for travelling.

After college I started work at Costa Coffee and during my time there I progressed from washing pots to running the store.
I completed my training and was promoted to supervisor because I showed initiative, was keen to learn and was a flexible worker. I was then
trained to Assistant Manager level and dealt with organising staff rotas, managing stock levels and managing staff. I was never formally promoted from
supervisor and was offered a job at Bagel Nash, a local bagel and coffee shop, with higher pay and more suitable hours. I was headhunted at work by a local businessman
who was interested in opening a bar and he needed an Assistant Manager and someone to bounce ideas off. I decided based on calculations what
offers would be viable and helped to design the layout of the bar. I also revised the same stock-management system from the bookstore and modified
it for use in the bar. My work experience as a whole has given me valuable people skills and I have learnt a great deal of how real world businesses operate.

I pride myself on my physical fitness and regularly swim and lift weights, it's been a passion of mine since high school and i have extensive
knowledge in fitness and nutrition. I love traveling and take any opportunity to see new places. I have been lucky enough to visit
Australia, The Netherlands, Dubai, Singapore, India, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Ireland and A handful of states in the USA. I have
encountered people living in a wide range of different cultures and this, combined with my work experience, has  me when interacting with people from all
walks of life. In summer 2009 I Walked the dales way over the course of a week with two friends we worked as a team and I learned how to map read.
In the winter of the same year I taught myself snowboarding whilst visiting Lake Tahoe, CA which I found extremely enjoyable and
discovered I was very talented at and have since been away every winter and have competed in freestyle competitions.Music is a big part of my life and
I regularly attend live shows and summer festivals both in the UK and overseas. I am also a self-taught guitarist and have dabbled with music production.

Computing and IT has become a fundamental requirement in almost every industry and the sheer quantity and
value of information is extremely high. As such the demand for computer security is ever growing and I
feel that this is the ideal avenue for me to pursue.