I work as a DevOps Consultant for my own consultancy business, BenOps. Previously I worked at the university straight after graduating. I worked in the internal IT team for the university where I worked my way up from the Service Desk to become a Desktop & AV Engineer.

I then joined a FTSE100 company named Rexam and moved into DevOps a year after before starting my own DevOps consultancy. I now contract for clients such as the Ministry of Justice.

My favourite memories of the University are actually as a staff member which included opening the new campus at Milton Keynes, opening the Postgraduate centre and also taking a leading role in Clearing all from an IT perspective.

I'd say to prospective students, make your chosen career your hobby - set up a home lab and test emerging technology in your own time to make you even more employable.

After I completed my Masters at Bedfordshire I went to London Metropolitan University to complete my PGCE in Secondary PE. From there I went on to work at London Academy in Edgware for two years before I moved to the UAE. I am currently completing my 4th year teaching Physical Education in an American school in Dubai. I am High School Coordinator where I am responsible for Grades 9 through 12 pastorally.

I feel my Masters in particular significantly enhanced my tool kit and fully prepared me for my PGCE course. I still look back over my Masters assignments to reconfirm material I have learnt.

My journey since leaving the University has been an incredible one. Coming from Nigeria as international student I was determined to succeed against all odds.

At his core, Alex is a Creative, he has always loved the creative process, studying graphic design and art at college. After picking up a camera in his late teens, he found a passion for creating moving image. He gained experience in the industry with global media institutions such as the BBC and Channel 4 during his time studying at the University of Bedfordshire.

Alex left University and become one of the youngest TV Commercial directors at that time. Working in TV and film Alex realised the traditional career ladder wasn’t the path that was right for him. In response, Alex ventured to establish and build the independent content creation agency Clearhead, which formed in the spring of in 2007. Clearhead has gone onto become a respected award winning content agency with international presence and reputation. Retaining it’s roots in Luton and solidifying it’s studio in the heart of the Luton’s Hat District as pioneering tenants of Hat House. Experience across multiple industries has generated a diverse brand roster such as: RAF, Houses of Parliament, Nuffield Health, Guinness, TUI, Cadbury, Sony, BBC, Saatchi & Saatchi.

Winning internationally recognised awards for his work as Director and cinematographer across a breadth of commercial and short films including the recent University of Bedfordshire case study film “Bethany’s Story”, Alex is passionate about creative direction and innovative storytelling keeping his pulse on current trends and technologies to ensure that he is offering innovative and current solutions to his clients needs.

Alex doesn't intend to talk the talk unless he can walk the walk. Discovering his weaknesses and turning them into his strengths. Alex works with major brands and clients to produce creative content that reaches their audiences but is also passionate about short form storytelling. Having worked on and led creative of multiple features and short films both locally and internationally. Many of which have gone on to achieve great global recognition. The projects Alex selects generally follow an endeavour to promote the representation of minority groups and their challenges. Projects such as the short film Chains for the NFL UK. A grass roots story of a young man overcoming extreme adversity to achieve notoraity within sports coaching. This film was picked up by the NFL and is used to promote grass roots sport and it’s benefits across the UK.

Alex is not just a creative and entrepreneur who focuses on the big idea, the aesthetics and the creative quality - Alex also strategises, creates and implements processes, manages teams and mentors. Having built creative departments from scratch and grown them to develop and improve both the creative output and quality of what his teams create. Employing, mentoring and training tens if not hundreds of University of Bedfordshire alumni over the last 13 years. Encouraging, advising and supporting young creatives as they enter the TV and Film industry has been a core passion and service of Alex’s. Building on this passion Alex became the first representative of the digital content world to be asked to join the panel of the established Royal Television Society committee. Working with fellow industry representatives to organise and host national industry panel discussions, career fairs and in general advising, encouraging and supporting young people and graduates to take their firsts steps into the industry. In the future Alex hopes to continue to grow, represent and promote creativity and the opportunities the creative industry can provide young people from all diversities. Continuing to encourage, inspire and support those that need hope in order to reach their dreams. Being a beacon of what can be achieved through humble actions and communicating the context of where it can all start.

While I was doing my final year project I applied for the QVC Floor Manager Internship. I was lucky enough to get a place there for 5 weeks. Towards the end of my 5 weeks I was offered a 6 month contract, and was then offered a permanent contract. I have now been there for over a year, have received supervisor training, and have been able to work on higher skilled shows with higher personnel. I am forever grateful for this opportunity that was supplied by my then lecturers Kathryn Wolfe and Anthony Greenbank.

I was given a lot of opportunities during my time and I was supported the whole way from all my lecturers and would say to anyone wanting to come to Beds, keep going, don’t give up. Even if you get a few knock downs, keep trying. Someone will say yes. Don’t wait till you graduate, get the ball rolling now. It’ll make it easier after!

Due to family commitments, I applied for universities which were within a reasonable commuting distance from my home. I accepted an offer for Beds after attending an open day, the lecturers were approachable and passionate, and the size of classes would be small in comparison to others. Additionally, beds allowed for students to gain an extra qualification -the Higher Diploma in Paralegal Practice if certain electives are chosen. I was interested in this.

Following on from graduation, I enrolled on the LPC/LLM Course at De Montfort University as a full- time student. However, due to Covid restrictions coming back into place and having young children, I transferred onto the part-time course. I currently attend University in person for one weekend each month.

I am a football analysist for FIFA. My primary role is to collect and analyse data based on FIFA’s footballing language. This language aligns technical expertise and the data itself to produce insights and to understand trends within football at all levels of the game. We look at all age groups as well as men and women’s football. The data is combined with observations from technical experts such as Steve McClaren and Arsene Wenger with the aim of understanding the game better, while hopefully improving fan experience and football as a whole at all levels of the game. It’s amazing to watch football every day, it’s the dream.

I did a HND at Tresham College and a Sport and PE course. This gave me a good grounding in sport and exercise science in general. The units I studied there developed my understanding of the physiological side of sport and how sport science is used in different sports. At that point of my journey, it really helped me focus on what I wanted to do next. The two years doing my HND helped me brush up on my academic skills; get applied experience in a professional academy setting; and gave me a solid understanding of the elements of sport science. I then completed my top-up degree in Applied Sport Science and Coaching at the University of Bedfordshire. My dissertation during this year was linked with the college football academy as well and I helped collect GPS data.

My advice to future students is to not be afraid to ask questions! Don’t assume the top-up is not for you. It provides a good opportunity for exposure to a wide variety of units. The tutors and staff will support you in a number of ways and it gives you an alternative route to achieving a Batchelor’s degree. The course helps you to find your own path in the sporting industry as well and gives you the freedom in your dissertation to choose a topic that you are keen on. You also get to work alongside people on other courses as well.

Finally, take all the opportunities you’re offered in the time you are at university.

This Degree helped me to increase and gain my knowledge to manage my daily work and glad that currently I am holding one of the posts of the executive level. The individual modules of the MBA course of University of Bedfordshire made me understand more about the sector and how to manage the situations easily at the current job.

I don't have one best memory it is a package of the best memories in University life. But the moment, receiving the miraculous result of the final theses was just an unbelievable moment with a great memory.

Upon leaving university I developed my skill set significantly and I am in the final stages of qualifying as a solicitor. I maintain contact with the university and have been recognised for running projects for young people in partnership with the university. It developed my knowledge of certain areas of law and research skills.

The support was very helpful, lecturers were always on hand to guide and the facilities are excellent.

My first graduate role in design came to me 4 months after graduating, working as an in-house designer for a decorator’s merchant. Since my first role, I have moved around quite a lot from in-house design positions to working for an agency and even dabbling in marketing and doing things such as event planning and blogging! Working in design has opened up so many different opportunities for me and moving around means I am always learning something new.

For my particular course the group was small, it may have changed now but the support from my lecturers was always there. If I had any questions or criticisms my lecturers and course leaders were always there to help and guide me in the right direction.My advice would be to make the most of it, as time will fly by and try to say yes to every opportunity you're given!

Following my graduation from the University of Bedfordshire in 2016, I was offered the position of Research Assistant with the NCCR on a two year project. In this role, I worked alongside Police in a project looking at the management and risk assessment of cyberstalking and harassment. The skills I learned through my time at the University were fundamental in obtaining this position.

An essential requirement for this role was a degree in Psychology or a closely related discipline. For my dissertation topic, I chose to study the accuracy of facial composites and which facial aspects are most important for recognition. This really developed my interest in forensic research projects and allowed
me to develop my skills further in this particular area, which was another requirement for the Research Assistant role.

In the second year of my Psychology degree, I volunteered as part of the Student Research Assistant Scheme and had the opportunity to work with a member of the Psychology academic staff on a qualitative study focused on the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). This helped
to develop my qualitative research skills which would subsequently help in obtaining my position following graduation.

This was a very interesting role and such an incredible and rewarding experience which I am extremely grateful for. Following the end of this project, I began a role with Bedfordshire Police where I continued to use and develop my research skills in their intelligence team.