Richard Thomson - GA BSc (Hons) Data Science

The 35-year-old, a former Bridge of Don Academy pupil, wanted to move into a more technical role and he secured a job with Aberdeen-based Imrandd, an engineering consultancy firm where he worked full-time throughout his studies. 

Richard said that one of the main reasons he was able to thrive was that he could easily apply what he learned to situations he faced in the workplace. 

He said that the GA BSc (Hons) Data Science course worked for him because he was able to easily see the direct links between the classroom and his job. 

Richard said: “I’m ecstatic to be graduating with a first. I really felt the graduate apprenticeship was a great way to earn your degree. Upon finishing, not only have you got the academic knowledge you’ve gained form the course, but you also have four years of experience applying that knowledge to real world problems. I believe that’s the real value of the graduate apprenticeship because you can use that skill of learning and application throughout your career.”

Richard is not the first member of his family to graduate from RGU with both wife Danielle and his sister securing first-class honours in their respective Journalism and Management and Marketing degrees. 

He said that one of the highlights of the GA was working on his honours project which he found both challenging and insightful.  Richard designed a geothermal exploration dashboard as part of his project and he plans to turn this into a real product. 

Richard said that for him the biggest change since completing the GA was in his career as he continues to make good progress.

He said: “My career has already changed as a result of doing my degree. I began my degree while I was working as an Information Management advisor, and while I was able to apply the course learnings at work, there were limited uses for them in my job role. After the first year and a half of the course, I decided to apply for new opportunities and managed to secure a position as a data engineer in the research and development team at Imrandd, an asset integrity consultancy. 

“I’ve worked full-time at Imrandd throughout the remainder of my degree where they supported me by allowing me the opportunity to actively apply what was being taught in each module. In the time since joining I was promoted to the role of data scientist / project manager.”