Frances Buchanan shares her experience of winning the Scott Trust Technology Bursary last year and encourages others to apply
In the summer of 2009 I was fortunate to be awarded a scholarship to facilitate the study of my MSc in Software Technology, by the Scott Trust, owner of the Guardian newspaper in London.
One of the main purposes behind that scholarship was to give the financial assistance and push to people who may otherwise be discouraged from taking on further education in technology. They encouraged applications from women who are, (according to the British Computer Society) recognised as being under-represented in the IT industry, to consider technology as a career.
Had I not been awarded the scholarship, it is likely that I would have delayed applying for my course (perhaps indefinitely!) so I am extremely grateful for the push that it gave me in deciding to just go for it. And I have no regrets.
The course was immensely enjoyable, as was the experience of being able to use my brain again after spending almost five years at home being "mummy". Although I had previously worked as a lawyer in both Glasgow and Edinburgh, there was a definite loss of confidence that seems to come with having children, and undertaking my MSc has gone a long way to rebuilding that confidence, as well as allowing me to pursue my long-held interest in all things IT. Next stop ? full time employment!
The scholarship not only funded my course at The Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, but also offered me the opportunity to undertake a placement within the technology department at the Guardian's offices in London. In July 2010, when I was almost half way through my course, I spent four weeks with the Guardian, learning from the experts. This was quite a change for me, coming from rural Aberdeenshire where I live with my husband and two young children, but it was a great opportunity that allowed me to gain insight into how technology is applied in practice and how it is driving change in the news industry, and publishing in general.
The experience I gained while working alongside the Guardian developers wasn't restricted solely to programming, but I was treated to one-to-one sessions with a whole host of experts from a range of different fields ? including design, technology strategy, lead architect, business development, central production and analytics.
Each day brought new tasks and new insights: in particular, I assisted Simon Rogers in his role as Data Journalist at the time when the Afghanistan War Logs were released; I attended "morning conference" with high profile guests; I worked with developers and helped write tests and develop code in Java in a test-driven environment, something that was entirely new to me; I was given full access to the Guardian's API (the Open Platform) and while experimenting with that I managed to identify (and fix) a bug; and I had a long and interesting chat with Dan Catt about the technologies he used to build the Zeitgeist feature on the Guardian's website.
Overall, this experience opened my eyes to the potential applications of intelligent web technologies, an area in which I now have a very keen interest.
I am extremely grateful to everyone in the Guardian's Technology department who gave me their time and imparted their knowledge unconditionally and unhurriedly, and in particular to Huma Islam for organising it all.
To anyone who is dithering about whether to retrain in the field of IT, I would say to go for it ? if a lawyer from Aberdeenshire with two young girls aged two and five can do it, so can you!
? You can find out more and apply for a bursary at the Scott Trust site. The deadline for this year is 15 March. If you have any questions regarding the bursary, please email the Scott Trust.
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