Meet Michael, a talented programmer with a background in games development who reignited his career through a STEM Returners programme. After facing challenges finding suitable roles following a career break, Michael discovered new opportunities within the defence industry, leading to a permanent role at BAE Systems. His story highlights the resilience needed to overcome setbacks, the value of mentorship, and the exciting possibilities that can emerge when stepping into a new sector.
Here is Michael’s story:
Tell us about you.
My name is Michael, born in the United Kingdom. I studied games development from college through to university and graduated with first class honours in Games Software Engineering at Bournemouth University in 2022. I am interested in making and playing games. In my free time I like to make small games for game jams or for personal projects to further develop my skills.
What was your working background before your career break?
After graduating, I worked at Bournemouth University to develop games, and I got the opportunity to go to Budapest to meet with other companies that were working on the project. After this, I moved on to working on a mobile application for a different company, and was able to experience the pace and the processes of developing a mobile app. During the summer holidays at university, I took on retail roles at different companies such as Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, which helped practise my skills of working in a team, confidence, and public speaking.
Tell us about your career break. Why did you take a break? How long was it for?
It hit me quite hard when I lost my job, as it was the first time it happened to me. Taking a career break was not entirely my choice as finding another job at the time proved to be difficult. This break lasted approximately eight months, allowing me to focus on personal projects and develop skills that I believed were lacking and would assist me in securing a job.
What made you want to return to the industry?
I have always been interested in programming, so I did not want to steer away from this and have been eager to learn new languages, best practices, etc. I have not been in the defence industry before, so everything has been very new to me but has been exciting and enjoyable. I have been able to apply my programming knowledge to this role, which has helped get a better understanding of the programming languages that are used.
What challenges have you faced when applying for roles? How did those challenges make you feel?
When I was applying for roles, it was all for senior or management roles, nothing for junior positions which meant I was already facing a block when applying for roles. In some cases where there were fitting roles, I would not get a response back and be stuck trying to find roles again. These challenges made it feel like I was not good enough for any of these roles, even if I met their requirements. It was hard not to feel bad about it or lose motivation when applying for jobs.
How did STEM Returners help?
STEM Returners helped make sure I was ready to return to work and had everything I needed for my first day. Regular contact helped throughout the placement, understanding next steps and offering assistance if it was needed. I was told about their mentoring that they offered and was glad I signed up and got paired with a mentor. I used this service to help with confidence, speaking in groups, and trying to be my absolute best during my placement and for the future.
What was the end result?
At the end of my placement with BAE Systems, I was offered a permanent position. I’ve been with them for 5 months now and feel like I have fit into the team really well. I have learnt a lot during these last few months and am continuing to learn each day. My colleagues have made the transition very easy and have been very patient with me, offering help when it’s needed.
How has this changed your career?
I had never considered working at a defence company, as I had always been focused on game development. Now that I have worked in this industry for roughly 5 months now, it has opened my career path a lot more and the progression within BAE Systems gives a clear path in what I need to do to try and progress through the roles and develop my skills.
What would you say about the programme overall?
This programme enabled me to get back into working and continue to write code. I was able to join a company and not have them view the break as a downside and were willing to get me back up to speed and teach me everything I needed to know and are continuing to do so.
Do you have any advice for returners like yourself?
Do not be afraid to jump right in and start learning the company’s processes, as well as not being afraid to ask questions even if you think they are stupid. They would rather you ask questions and learn, than to try and do some work that you might not fully understand. I would highly recommend trying to find a mentor to speak with throughout your placement, their website makes this very easy and you can arrange meetings with your mentor and discuss what you need.
If you would like to register your interest in joining a STEM Returners programme, please visit Returner Registration – STEM Returners or view our current programme opportunities here.