Extra classes, events and user groups at university

Now there is plenty of societies and groups that the university hold. Event workshops for CV’s, languages lessons and I think I’ve even seen gaming societies. I’ve attend very interesting guest lectures which aren’t apart of the curriculum but generally everyone attends. It gives you a better insight on how companies work and what to expect when going into industry. We’ve had quite a few of these guest lectures and I’m certain they have them for all aspects in computer science.

I’m attending another gamesJam/hackathon at Cambridge University next week (first weekend of July). Although this isn’t held by the University of Bedfordshire, a team of Bedfordshire students are going up and participating it. In computer science there are more technical user groups dotted all around. For example, there’s specific software user groups, operating system user groups and just general monthly/weekly tech events. Now it’s very difficult to compete with events which are held by in most cases experts or even creators of that software. It’s a place where people go to share ideas, contacts and get expert/peer advice.  

What’s amazing about being a Computer Science student at the moment is there is so much free knowledge and really plenty of events which relate to what you prefer. You may argue that you don’t need to be at university to attend these yes, but it’s amazing to have experts in the field very local/ most probably London.  From the ones I’ve attended everyone is very friendly and probably can answer any burning questions you have. Though I wouldn’t personally ask trivial questions which you can just research yourself and maybe not ask university assignment question answers. Rather techniques/tips to learn more on a specific area. Generally at these user groups there’s presentations that take places for some free extra knowledge!

Below are some links that you may find useful, studying at the University of Bedfordshire it’s a very quick journey to London. So there’s really no excuse to be attending these what mostly are free events. In some cases there’s a digital live steam you can watch if you can’t attend in person. 

Useful related links

List of societies running at Luton Campus

http://www.bedssu.co.uk/main-menu/societies/bedsocs-luton

Search for Microsoft related user groups

www.technicalcommunity.com

Search for Apple related user groups

http://appleusergroupresources.com/find-a-group/

UK Linux User groups 

https://lug.org.uk/

 

Autodesk events, workshops and seminars

http://uk.gep.autodesk-services.com/

Microsoft Student Partner

I’ve briefly mentioned that I’m a Microsoft Student Partner. I’ll explain what it means, what we do and how to apply.

I’ve been a Microsoft Student Partner (MSP) for almost 2 years. It’s a very prestigious program for students passionate about Technology. This doesn’t just mean programmers, I’m a 3D Generalist and I think I fit in well with the program. Although most people in the program, they don’t necessarily study computers science. A good knowledge of Microsoft Products is recommended

How did I get in the program? I personally got in the program I think because of my technical skills, plus staying active in the field. I hold a personal tech blog and attend a lot of tech events. Before I joined I attended a hackathon in Belgium with my good friend at the time who was an MSP.

But Sean, I don’t have money to go to another country and tech events, I’m a student not a millionaire :<. Oh really? It cost me £80. It was really fast to get there too. I’d be happy to do it again, was a really fun experience and I personally don’t think there is an excuse for people not to be attending tech events, even around Europe, I’ve spent more money on weekends out!

In my first year of the program I worked with quite a few of the other MSPs and made some apps and games which were published on the Windows Market places. I did presentations to very technical audiences and built my connections in the field.  Second year I’ve done similar things so far, plus done some far more technical things at events (Such as the 3D printing I spoke about in a previous post).  A full list of events and talks I’ve done is available here. 

If you’re a student, passionate about tech and like Microsoft. Then why not apply!

www.microsoftstudentpartners.com 

Perks? Opportunity for free software, hardware and knowledge. I’ve slept in 5 star hotels, had amazing meals and travel is reimbursed. I can personally warn you that if you don’t take it seriously, then you won’t be taken seriously.

Dreamspark Premium

I did a presentation this week at UoL City about dreamspark and imagine cup. I thought that I would write a blog post here about it.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a Microsoft Student Partner. Now this blog is aimed for students that are already studying at the university. In particular the STEM departments (Science, Tech, Engineering and mathematics).

I managed to get the University of Bedfordshire Dreamspark Premium free for 3 years. What that basically means for you, the student. Is that you can get free software from Microsoft! Everything ranging from Visual Studio Professional to Windows 8.1 and Office 2007! That’s right. You can get your office package absolutely free. There’s a huge amount of free software you can download all you need to do is register.




I’ve also left a link about FAQ’s. Leave a comment if you have any issues, I can try to help or advise you onto who to contact.

https://www.dreamspark.com/ - To register

https://www.dreamspark.com/Support/FAQ/Default.aspx - FAQ

This blog post is a little off topic, but I thought the best way to inform people about this would be to post about it! The presentation went well, people seemed interested in the programs and I’m thinking doing a small presentation for the University of Bedfordshire on the same topics.