A person typing on a computer
A person typing on a computer

Student developer defies critics to build a dream future in tech

Student developer defies critics to build a dream future in tech

Discovering how a passion can transform the future, a UWL student is about to start his dream job in coding as one of the first to graduate from a new MSc in Artificial Intelligence – and all despite leaving school with no qualifications.

Told by teachers he was not capable of reaching his dreams, Sam Bancroft worked in everything from construction to kitchens after leaving school, but never lost sight of his passion for computing and gaming. 

Spurred on by his partner, he was in his mid-20s when he decided to make the most of his talents and enrolled to study for a Computer Science BSc and prove what he was capable of.  

Throwing himself into his studies, Sam completed hours of self-learning and cemented his newfound skills by teaching coding to young people in his spare time. It was at university that he was also diagnosed with dyslexia and given the support he needed to excel.   

He not only graduated with a 2:1 but went on to join the first cohort of UWL’s master’s in AI and has landed a role as a Study Configuration Engineer thanks to everything he’s learnt.

Sam said: 

As a teenager, I was diagnosed with ADHD and struggled with attention span. But I’ve always been into gaming and making my own games.  

I started to learn about networking and my girlfriend encouraged me to apply to university where I put everything into growing my skills.  

I loved the course and it taught me so much. It was thanks to my lecturers that my dyslexia was diagnosed and that explained so much. They noticed I could understand work and complete tasks but was struggling a lot with exams.  

The university helped me get the support I needed and it completely changed everything. Now I have my master’s and this incredible job offer, it’s given me a whole new future."

Discover how UWL can help you get on track for your dream future via our courses page.

 

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