In just six years Russell Walls has progressed from the Level 3 BTEC extended diploma in interactive media to an HNC and HND in creative media production (games design), gained a First Class degree at university and is now working as an artist for Virtual Reality Simulation Systems, a games/simulation developer in Telford.
Russell said: “After completing the Level 3 qualification I decided that the college higher education route was the best for me as it was a comfortable environment for me to learn and excel and, as I already knew the tutors, I trusted that they had my best interests at heart and would point me in the right direction for what I wanted to do in the future.
“The HE programme also meant there were lower numbers in the class, more student-tutor contact time and more structure in the classroom which made achieving my goals easier as I always had access to new materials or access to the tutors for reviews of my latest work which kept me on track with my grades.
“And studying this way was much cheaper too – I spent half the amount over the two years than some of my friends who did three years at university which made my student loan a lot cheaper!
“The college set me up with all the foundations I needed both in my working career and in my academic success and helped me realise that I could do it provided that I worked hard. It allowed me to achieve a First-Class bachelor degree the year following my completion of the HND and I landed my current job soon after.”
