Post-university in 1994 I went to work at Questions Publishing.. Originally there gratis in order to gain experience I quickly went on the payroll and worked there for over 3 years, taking on roles in IT, Marketing and Admin. A typical day's work included sorting out issues with the bespoke, FoxPro-based subscription system, troubleshooting the Novell network, running billing routines, preparing for/selling at large trade shows, ordering and negotiating for the various types of paper/card needed for the products printed in-house and managing the post room activities.

During a short spell at a Television Production Company (Television Junction) in the summer of 1998 I met the proprietor of a small IT consultancy (B.D.P.) based in South Birmingham and convinced him that I could make a contribution to his growing business. After a short time engaged in Marketing activities I developed my technical skills and became first-line support in the office as well as repairing/upgrading machines both on and off-site.

However, I knew that I needed to get a more formal grounding and an IT qualification to my name if I was to progress in a rapid manner. I therefore made a decision to go back to university and study for an MSc. in Computer Science at Birmingham University. I completed this in late 2000 and after a period of reflection and recuperation  ;-)  joined Wilco International at the start of 2001.

I am now seeking to build on what I have learnt about software development and am particularly interested in building a career in IT security. My interest in this was sparked by research I undertook whilst writing essays for the 'Commercial Programming' module of my MSc. and listening to visiting speakers from organisations such as DERA and consultants lecturing on issues such as 128-bit encryption and the threat to national securities that it may or not pose.

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