Jamie Gordon

Web Design & Development

Where are you from?

Lisburn, Northern Ireland

Why did you choose Northumbria University, Newcastle?

I chose Northumbria because it was ranked in the top 3 universities in the UK for the course I wanted to do and it was a chance of a new life away from home in Northern Ireland where I live is very remote and had heard that it was a big party city that was full of life.

What do you think of Newcastle and our region and what are your favourite things to do?

Newcastle is a brilliant city to live in there is always something going on and there is a great choice of nightclubs, bars, places to shop and amazing restaurants with most of them offering one off offers for students with 25% days off in Eldon Square shopping centre and 10-25% off with a student card with some big chain restaurants in town. My favourite thing to do is to take the Metro to Tynemouth and have the famous fish and chips and have them on the pier.

What has surprised you most about living in Newcastle and this region? What has impressed you most?

The nightlife and the food. Digital is the biggest nightclub in the UK and I found it was very impressive, Alesso, Disclosure and other big names have played there. Living here has been an experience, I still have so much to explore such as the museums and other sites around and outside Newcastle.

Did you find Northumbria University welcoming? Was it easy to fit in?

Yes, it is very welcoming, it depends on the people you live with or the people on your course, not everyone gets on with everyone they meet so I would definitely say to take up a hobby or sport while being here to meet new people on your interests so there is common ground.

What have you enjoyed most about coming to Northumbria University?

The diversity of people and the flexibility of being able to do anything you want at any time away from home and learning about how to manage my money and save money to go out with friends.

Who has helped you most since you came to Northumbria?

My lecturers, they have helped me when I was very ill and have helped give me guidance and they are alway are around to ask for any help that you need on your course. Most of them are easy going so long as you do your work and do it well.

What is your favourite place on campus?

The library, I'm always in reading books and doing assignment work, there are so many good books on my course I am studying that the things my lectures teach and I don't understand I can look at a book and learn it at my own pace, which is brilliant, while the internet is full of information it doesn't always mean it is right or correct.

Have you joined any sports teams, clubs or been involved in any volunteer projects? Tells us about the highlights?

While at university I have volunteered to help people doing A levels and it has taught me about being a leader and time management. It's great that I am putting my skills to use and helping others at the same time.

What is the best thing about your course?

The fact that I can create anything I want, from a search engine to a fully fledged web app that can be in the cloud makes my course one of the most interesting and rewarding compared to traditional subjects like English.

What are the most valuable lessons you have learnt to date?

Start assignments as early as you can because you can ask questions early and grasp all the concepts your lecturers want you to learn while making sure you have more time to do other things before the deadline, instead of no time and rushing to get the work done.

What do you want to do in the future? What skills have you learned/improved that you think will be of most use in your future career?

My ambition is that in five years I will have a web design business or an online business that will sell products and services to others, this ambition has been helped by the fact my course has entrepreneurship as part of my 2nd year.

Have you worked on any projects with businesses or been on a placement? What were your most memorable experiences?

I am currently doing a business plan for an idea as part of one of my modules and I hope to enter it into the annual business plan competition that Northumbria runs each year. During my course my memorable experience has got to be the presentations and feeling very nervous when doing it. I was asked questions and had to think quickly on my feet, when I got my results back I scored really well on presentation but not on the poster I had designed, which made it a rewarding experience.

If you could offer some advice to students thinking of coming to study here what would you say?

Find a club at University and find one outside it like a local football club or rugby club, it will allow you to mix with people outside of university and people in university because when your university friends move home for holiday periods and your course runs longer you still have friends around you can hang out with. Also budget and write down how much you can spend on food and then drink, its best to buy one big shop and it can save you money in the long run as well as time.