Alumni profile - Holly Brazier

1 June 2022

You studied a degree apprenticeship at Queen Mary in BSc Digital Technology Solutions (Software Engineer) which allowed you to study part-time whilst working for Goldman Sachs as a Technology Apprentice. Why did you choose this route as opposed to a traditional study route? 

I decided to pursue a degree apprenticeship after dropping out of a short stint at full time university. I wanted to gain hands on experience at the same time as attaining a degree as I recognised the significant benefit of being able to apply concepts taught at university in the real world. Moreover, having the opportunity to work alongside experienced professionals, earn a salary whilst studying and gain soft skills was extremely attractive.

How did you first discover that degree apprenticeships existed and what was the application process like? 

There are lots of websites that allow school leavers to find out about apprenticeships, I looked at allaboutschoolleavers and notgoingtouni, which both provided a summary of the available apprenticeships around the UK. I came across the Goldman Sachs Degree Apprenticeship in the newspaper the day they announced that they were launching the programme!

Once I had sent off my CV and cover letter the application process included a virtual interview followed by a day of in person interviews with an analytical thinking exercise and finally a follow up telephone interview.

It was great having the opportunity to learn about such a variety of topics throughout the degree and develop a range of technical skills and knowledge. I like how the degree gave me a high level overview of software engineering topics before allowing me to specialise in a particular area of engineering.

How did you find the experience of working part-time alongside your studies? How did you juggle both? 

Working whilst studying was a challenge to begin with but I quickly learnt how to manage my time and prioritise different tasks. As the programme was a four-year commitment it was important to establish how to balance both work and university sustainably. I made sure that I always completed university work in the dedicated university days or during the weekday evenings. During exam periods we were also given some study leave days which allowed us to focus on the upcoming exams. I found it was also important to have a day during the weekend to switch off, relax and do the things I enjoy in order to recharge for the week ahead. 

What support did you receive throughout the duration of your degree apprenticeship? 

There was lots of support throughout the duration of the apprenticeship, from a university perspective we were assigned a personal tutor who was our main point of contact from Queen Mary, whilst at work, I was assigned an official mentor, manager, and buddy. I also grew an informal network throughout the duration of the programme which offered more support. My teams at Goldman were also a huge support mechanism; they were always willing to invest their time in explaining more difficult topics to me and help me understand how they applied to projects being worked on by software engineers at Goldman. The other apprentices themselves were also a great support, it helps to talk to people going through the same programme as you, sharing experiences and tips that have helped along the way!

Which modules did you most enjoy as part of the theoretical side of your degree and were there any academics that had a strong influence on shaping your journey here?

It was great having the opportunity to learn about such a variety of topics throughout the degree and develop a range of technical skills and knowledge. I like how the degree gave me a high level overview of software engineering topics before allowing me to specialise in a particular area of engineering. I really enjoyed the web programming module as I found it very satisfying being able to change a line of code and see the resulting visual effect on a user interface. This is a skill that I use in my day-to-day role now and for the last two years working as a front-end developer. The database module was also invaluable, (everything revolves around data!), so being able to work with databases has been a core skill I’ve maintained.

What was it like to work for Goldman Sachs as an apprentice; what were some of the skills and experience you gained?

I really enjoyed working for Goldman Sachs as an apprentice. As part of the structure of the apprenticeship I worked in two different teams and during this, developed both my technical and soft skills. I learnt about good software engineering practices such as test-driven development as well as different software development lifecycles which we weren’t taught about at university. I also gained experience within a variety of programming languages such as Java, SQL and JavaScript. On the soft skills front, I learnt some invaluable communication skills such as how to network and deliver an impactful presentation whilst also managing competing priorities and my time.

In your opinion, what are some of the pros and cons of doing a degree apprenticeship? 

Being able to earn whist you learn is one of the obvious benefits of doing a degree apprenticeship, but I will say one of the most valuable benefits is gaining the hands-on experience during your university degree. The network that you build from doing the apprenticeship is invaluable, not only do you mix with other apprentices through your employer, at university you are in lectures with other apprentices from different companies.

One of the main disadvantages of doing a degree apprenticeship is that you don’t get the usual university experience from a social perspective. Although you are still able to join societies and activities, only attending university twice a week limits your social interaction with full time students.

I aim to continue to encourage other women into engineering roles and help boost the number of girls studying STEM subjects. I would love the opportunity to speak at engineering conferences about the work that we are doing in Goldman Sachs as well as how the degree apprenticeship has enabled me to get where I am today. 

You are currently an Associate at Goldman Sachs. What are some of your daily responsibilities and how has your degree apprenticeship helped you in this role?

The degree apprenticeship helped me prepare greatly for full time work. Day to day I spend a vast majority of my time writing code as well as in team meetings where we discuss ideas and technologies that are leading in the industry. I am currently working on developing a front-end application using react and typescript. The degree apprenticeship helped me in this role as it provided me with the foundational knowledge on how to work effectively, efficiently, and professionally in a team. It helped me to understand the role engineering plays in an investment bank and how software engineering roles are vital to ensuring processes run smoothly.

What are your future career aspirations?

I aim to continue to encourage other women into engineering roles and help boost the number of girls studying STEM subjects. I would love the opportunity to speak at engineering conferences about the work that we are doing in Goldman Sachs as well as how the degree apprenticeship has enabled me to get where I am today. 

Finally, when posting about your Queen Mary graduation on LinkedIn, you mentioned that you were one of only a few female engineers to walk across the stage. Why would you encourage more women to follow in your footsteps and pursue a career in tech?

I would encourage everyone to pursue a career in technology as it is innovative, exciting, and rewarding. Being able to solve real world problems through technology is fascinating, and as the digital world continues to grow, so will the opportunities to learn new skills, explore new technologies and grow as an individual.

• Find out more about studying a Degree Apprenticeship at Queen Mary.
• Join the Queen Mary Network.

If you would like to get in touch with(Name) or engage him in your work, please contact the Alumni Engagement team at alumni@qmul.ac.uk.