Giorgos Komodromos

Since graduating

“I completed my studies in 2018 and left Leeds after 3 beautiful years. The same year I went to London to study a Masters in Information Security.  After a year in London, I returned to Cyprus and started working as a Software Developer at a small company of 20 people for 2 years.  With zero experience and only the knowledge I gained during my Computer Science degree at the University of Leeds, I quickly climbed to be an acting project leader and lead Software Developer for 2 projects of the company. Currently, I am an Information Security Risk Management Analyst at the Bank of Cyprus.”

Why Leeds?

“The decision to study at the University of Leeds was made after taking into consideration several factors. The most important are the reputation, the course structure and of course the campus and the city of Leeds. When I was researching universities, the University of Leeds immediately caught my attention since it was a university established almost 2 hundred years ago, with high-quality courses and of course, it was one of the top universities to study Computer Science in the UK.  

The course was very well structured and by reading the descriptions I was sure that I was taking the correct path and I knew that there, I would become a true professional. Finally, Leeds is a city that offers countless activities to do as a student from parties, sports, shopping, nightlife, walks in the parks or across the river and many more. The campus which for me is the heart of Leeds also offered everything you could need as a student - libraries, labs, study areas, cafes, pubs, restaurants even a gym. I will never forget the time when I was enjoying my coffee at Roger Stevens by the pond observing the ducks waiting to enter a lecture.

Studying Computing at Leeds

“The best aspect was that I was privileged to learn from the best scientists in the UK and meet people of the same interests, which led to creating a network of people with who I still am in contact today and discuss the news in technology, innovation and computer science. It is very important to meet people and exchange ideas and knowledge since it makes you more aware of the current situation in the market and the world in general.”

Exciting projects

The best thing about the University of Leeds and the School of Computing was that they wanted you to explore, research and implement as if you were in the industry.

“The best thing about the University of Leeds and the School of Computing was that they wanted you to explore, research and implement as if you were in the industry. As a student, I took part in many group and individual projects. However, the best project that I will still remember is the group project of the Software Engineering course. We were divided into groups of 5 or 6 and we were given a project to implement from another STEM company. I was assigned the role of team leader and we had to work in an agile methodology to design and develop a training platform for the employees of that company. With the guidance of our professor Dr. Nick Efford and the excellent cooperation between my team members, we achieved a great result. I am sure that, the project and my responsibilities as a team leader played an important role in the development of my career.”

Experiences at Leeds

“I will start by saying that our motto “Et augebitur scientia” which means “And knowledge will be increased” is been playing on my mind every day and this is what am trying to achieve in my career.

The School of Computing gave me the opportunity to learn about many different areas of  Computer Science. Algorithms & Problem Solving, Machine Learning, AI, Probabilities, Secure Computing, Processors, Operating Systems, Networks and of course Software Development. All courses gave me an insight into those areas making me capable of following every area whenever I want to.  

However, the areas that fulfil me are Algorithms, Problem Solving, Secure Computing and Software Development. I have chosen to combine those areas and become an expert on solving problems, quickly, securely and efficiently.  

Finally, another important part is that I am capable of experimenting in all the areas mentioned above, for example, recently I have started experimenting with machine learning in my free time to gain more knowledge, using my knowledge already gained from the University of Leeds.”

Advice to future students

“I truly believe that the University of Leeds and the School of Computing were important factors for my career. I am 26 years old and since I completed my studies, I found no difficulty in finding a job or moving to another. Furthermore, I was made capable of learning from or discussing with people and colleagues with more years of experience in the industry and be at the same page in every conversation and on many occasions I was the one who gave advice according to my academic knowledge.  

The course material is very rich and up-to-date which is important for a young person that is about to get out and explore the industry. I entered the university knowing only a very basic programming language and I left knowing more than 5 (C, C++, Java, Python, Swift, Javascript - not to mention Markup Languages). In general, I left the university and I was able to search and learn new programming languages and frameworks on my own, which this made me is helping me to adapt easily to new coding techniques, tools and methodologies.

In addition, the staff and academics are always there to help you overcome any difficulty. Moreover, after a year of study, you are capable of deciding the areas that interest you and you have the option to follow them as you like. Finally, the labs are a great area to develop, research, learn and of course interact with some state of the art technology.”

Find out more about studying Computer Science BSc.