COMPANY: BT
TITLE: Concept Designer
Storyboard design and development - this means that I draw storyboards for possible demo’s that we can show to customers, these demos can range from showing how a new device works to explaining a manual processes.- Flash development - this is an element of my job that I am about to start, here I would take the storyboards and create the actual flash demo of how they work.
- Developing on concepts - this is where an idea arises from a customer that could possibly have lots of potential; my job would then be to develop this idea to see if it is plausible.
RELATED DEGREE:
I didn’t study for a degree but I studied A levels in Computing, Photography and History. I also achieved a BETC in telecommunications during the first year of my apprenticeship.
Finally it is very important to do well a GCSE’s, C or above is required in at least Science, Maths and English.
WORK EXPERIENCE:
I found out about the BT apprenticeship scheme while at high school, though I decided I wanted to go to sixth form I made certain that I achieved the grades needed to get into the apprenticeship at GCSE. After sixth form I decided I had had enough of school and being in the education system, I still wanted to learn and improved myself, but I wanted to get away from the academic path that I was begging to find frustrating and boring. Again, I looked at the apprenticeship scheme and decided that it offered a really great balance between education and the practical elements of being in work.
After being lucky enough to pass the interview I was employed as an apprentice office based technician, this meant that I would undertake a number of different job roles all with the aim of maintaining and improving the UK’s IP network. This was a good and interesting job but it wasn’t really creative enough for me so I have recently moved into a department called the ATC or Applied Technology Centre.
This for me is a dream job, it involves lots of graphical work and I get to spend my day creating images for storyboards and demo’s that will be shown to customers promoting BT products and services.
SKILLS REQUIRED:
A lot of people think that to undertake a BT apprenticeship you have to have good computing skills, this can’t be more wrong, things like computing are taught to you throughout your apprenticeship, if you could already do the job what would be the point of being an apprentice?
The skills I think that are most important to have to do well at any apprenticeship are people skills. This is because being an apprentice means you will have to interact with many different people and to do well at your apprenticeship you must make the most out of what these people have to offer. There is nothing that can teach you better than experience and most of these people have mountains of it!
BENEFITS OF THE JOB:
You only get out of your apprenticeship what you put into it. Every apprentice has the same amazing benefit of getting to see lots of different areas of BT which is rare and not many other people in the company get this opportunity. This gives you an unique perspective of BT. But there are so many more opportunities, all you have to do is make the effort to find them, don’t expect them to find you. Since starting BT a year ago, I have travelled all of over the country, been to France, had a privet box in the Royal Albert Hall, been involved with events and meetings in London and met so many different and interesting people who help inspire and drive me. As well as moving into an amazing job.
CAREER GOALS:
Since starting BT my job role has changed dramatically, I’m discovering more and more about the company every day and meeting huge numbers of inspirational people. I think it’s impossible to say where my career is going because there is just so much to see and do at the moment. But one thing I do know is that wherever my future goes in BT it’s always going to be exciting and always going to be changing. And hopefully the pay won’t be too bad either!