MK College offers courses on a range of levels in a wide variety of subject areas and can help you develop your skills from the beginning to being workplace ready. Our staff are ready to advise prospective and current students on study paths that will allow them to achieve their goals, step-by-step. On a higher level of study, we also provide more affordable alternatives to university-level courses. 

Jawad, a student of Level 5 HND in Cyber and Networking, has learned a lot during his time at the College and is determined to make the most of every opportunity that comes his way. Read on to learn more about his journey at the College. 

Hi! What’s your name and what are you studying at the College? 

Hi! My name is Jawad and I’m doing a Level 5 HND in Cyber and Networking at the South Central Institute of Technology (SCIoT).

I was born in Syria, but I was raised in Dubai and lived in Turkey for some time, so before MK College, pretty much my whole life I had been studying at American or international schools. When I moved to the UK, I was unfamiliar with the system. After some adjustment, I enrolled at MK College and here I’ve studied Levels 1 and 2, maths and English GCSEs, and an Access to Higher Education course in Cyber Security and Networking.

I was going to go to university after this, but due to the costs I decided to continue at MK College and completed a Level 4 HNC course instead, and now I’m going into Level 5. I’d love to continue studying at MK College and hope there will be a Level 6 available so I can continue studying here at university level.

What motivated you to choose this course? 

For me, the decision was really intuitive – ever since I was a kid, I’ve always been good with computers and built my first PC when I was 13.

How did you find your studies? Do you feel that you made the right choice? 

Of course. It’s honestly very fulfilling because I started from the bottom and now, I’m making my way up to a degree. 

There are a lot of other opportunities that I’ve had through these courses, such as being a student ambassador for MK College. I’m currently a student governor at the College, and I’ve also had the opportunity to take part in employer events. In one of them, I was given a quick brief about a product and then proceeded to speak with representatives of businesses to try and sell them the product. I really enjoyed it; I like to talk and I’m not afraid of standing in front of people and talking.

What are some of the highlights from your time at the College? 

I’ve really enjoyed the environment, and I like that you’re treated like an adult. You have more freedom and responsibility here. The social aspect is good too, because you meet people who have the same mindset as you – people who know what they want to do and who are going through the same thing you’re going through every day.

The environment opens up a lot of commonalities between you and your classmates. It’s easy to relate. Many of my classmates also had jobs on the side of studying. I have a lot of work experience and I’ve worked at nearly every business at the Kingston Centre. I also work at my dad’s shop in our family business.

What are some of the challenges you’ve encountered during your time at the College and how did you overcome them? 

I’m autistic, which was a bit of a challenge at times. I struggled a bit with understanding people as I couldn’t always read their emotions. I’ve brought it up with my teachers and they’ve been very supportive; they don’t want to label you, and instead they push you to challenge yourself and achieve. Especially the last couple of years at the SCIoT, the staff have been amazing.

What are your future career aspirations? 

I really don’t know yet. My dad has a printing shop, but IT and printing are two very different career paths. I’ve done a lot of work in my industry too and worked in a lot of businesses, I’ve done networking and have run social media accounts. You can always have a main business and something else on the side. 

What advice would you give to someone wanting to apply for your course today? 

If you love it, go for it. If you’re just doing it for the money, you should reconsider. It’s an intensive field and you really have to be passionate and dedicated to make it in that industry. If you’re doing it for the money, it’s very obvious. 

Whenever you get an opportunity, take it. There are so many opportunities that only come once in a lifetime and it’s so important to build connections whenever possible.

Learn more about HND Cyber and Networking at the South Central Institute of Technology here.