Since I've finished University and been fortunate enough to start a full time job immediately I've been really enjoying the difference. University, although rather intensive at some points, was never really much of a routine. The lectures seemed to be increasingly sparse as the course went on. Some days a lecture would start at 9AM, others the first lecture would be in the afternoon. This is with the intention of self-study during the spare time equating to about ten times that of lecture time on that particular module. This is somewhat of a misnomer. I don't think I know anyone on my course who realistically put this amount of time and effort into their modules; though it may be that those who did felt ashamed to admit it for some reason. This is about ten hours per credit, meaning 1200 hours per year of study. Some modules came close to hitting this ideal for me, particularly my final year project.

Working a full time job was refreshing. The structure that it added to the day was a welcome change from the sporadic nature of University life. I'm really glad to have such great house-mates after such a stressful time trying to find a place to live, with not everything working out as I'd expected. The last thing I thought I would have a problem with was somewhere to live, I'd had thoughts that I'd be stuck looking for a job for quite some time after University given the current state of the economy - despite the computer industry remaining relatively strong. The number of applicants to graduate roles is reportedly higher than before. I'm very glad to have found such a great place to work at Conjure. Jumping in at the deep end with Android development. My final year project had scarcely prepared me for the intensity that it proved to be. But after a while I found learning by doing to be about the best thing for me.

The approach to work was completely different from what I was used to at University. University required a lot of write up to prove that things worked. Whereas I could just press something and show what it was doing on the device. I felt I was able to explore the platform as a whole more easily too. I could use any technique to get something done, without being told that's not correct, or what they were after, provided it actually worked. There's always a little time to optimise things a bit later.

After University where work always seemed to loom over me it's nice to have the evenings and weekends to myself. Yes, I might stay a bit later than normal to finish up on something, or work through lunch if I'm in the flow of things, but the evenings and weekends are mine. But weekends still aren't quite long enough!