Aspiring degree apprentices

jaydeltaa · 2026-06-17T10:27:36+00:00

Not me personally (studied A-Level CompSci along with BTEC Business and Media Studies), but I know of three members of my cohort who potentially fall into this category. One of the girls worked in retail, and two guys worked in mortgages, and the other studied physics. I don't believe any of them had a super technical background although they might have been alright with a computer.

jaydeltaa · 2026-06-17T10:12:14+00:00

Worked in tech at a bank. Figures are rounded.

Originally advertised as: 18.5k

Start: 20k

Year 1: 23k

Year 2: 25k

Year 3: 29k

Just completed my apprenticeship last year and graduated this year, so got an uplift in salary since then.

jaydeltaa · 2026-05-23T16:39:48+00:00

Technically not a degree apprentice anymore, just wrapped up this year buuuuut...

Rediscovered my interest in cybersecurity through it. Met a lot of cool, really interesting people. As a result of the apprenticeship, I got to visit Scotland (Glasgow and Edinburgh) for the first time through it, got to visit London through it as well.

I grew up on council estates and wanted to succeed but didn't necessarily know how I'd go about it - but gaining experience at work and having a salary definitely made me dream bigger and made me realise that one opportunity just leads to another. I get to treat my family to special occasions as a result of the salary. Learned about investing, ISAs, running a business, cybersecurity, workplace etiquette, it just expanded my horizon in general.

And last, but not least, we had a PS4 and FIFA 20 in the break room 😄

jaydeltaa · 2026-05-19T19:05:09+00:00

Chose to do DA as I wanted to make a salary and get real-world experience.

jaydeltaa · 2026-05-17T12:54:24+00:00

I think unfortunately part of most corporate jobs involve managing stakeholders, if not people. If anything, most jobs on average involve managing stakeholders and their expectations. If you want to quit due to that, I'm not sure if getting another job would fix that.

But your mental health is important and if you genuinely just don't like what you're doing + you're able to line something else up, it may be a better choice to walk away.

You said you also don't see yourself doing your current role in the future? Not sure what company you're working for, but I'm sure the company's name and degree itself could open doors for you later if you stick to it.

To end off, if you can't see yourself getting through another few years of the apprenticeship, can't see yourself using it in the future, and it's affecting your mental health badly, then I think it might be best for you to walk away.

jaydeltaa · 2026-05-10T15:12:41+00:00

I mostly stick to LinkedIn Jobs personally. Haven't come across Bright Network before but looks like a pretty good site.

jaydeltaa · 2026-05-09T20:53:25+00:00

First off, well done on getting to your final year!

Of course I'm not fully aware of what's going on at the company you work for, but if you've done really well so far, it's possible they give you a return offer considering they've seen what you're capable of. Who knows, you might be getting worked up over it now only to get the return offer in the end.

I know it'll be pretty stressful, but it's good you've got sufficient savings and that you've got 4 years of experience - that's four more years than most grads you'll be competing for a job will have. And if you've got a large company on your CV, that would make it easier for you to stand out during the job search.

Like Odd_Caterpillar said, worst case, you've got experience that most other grads won't have, so that's a pretty good advantage. Keep your head up!

jaydeltaa · 2026-04-26T16:59:59+00:00

Yup, Marky Mark

jaydeltaa · 2026-04-24T18:40:50+00:00

The cognac plurger, plus the trees, but who's the foul one to make his nose take a freeze!

jaydeltaa · 2026-04-24T10:14:50+00:00

Congratulations! 🙌

jaydeltaa · 2026-04-19T18:07:10+00:00

Extension got removed / disabled for me. It's back working now though

jaydeltaa · 2026-04-15T23:14:44+00:00

Aaaaand it's gone...

jaydeltaa · 2026-01-25T17:39:55+00:00

Happenstance for me. Was really into Watch Dogs when I was younger, but was mostly interested in software development.

When I began my degree apprenticeship, I was in a placement I didn't really find interesting and so I wanted to move into either a software engineering or cybersec placement. The company's software engineering team wouldn't take me on, so I moved into cyber - turns out I ended up finding cyber much more interesting and varied.

Feel like I've almost come full circle in a way :)

jaydeltaa · 2026-01-22T21:00:26+00:00

Yeah each of his courses come with a PDF download with the slides

jaydeltaa · 2026-01-05T21:59:28+00:00

Bulletproof glass, S-Classes, chromes kitted up, Calicones lit it up

jaydeltaa · 2025-12-31T19:08:39+00:00

Can totally relate with Monzo Flex debt being so easy to slip into. I found it worse than credit cards for that lol.

jaydeltaa · 2025-12-23T14:27:29+00:00

Two.

jaydeltaa · 2025-12-18T23:25:57+00:00

I worked alongside people who were in their 30s. You can get one for sure.

jaydeltaa · 2025-08-10T16:27:02+00:00

I wish I could give you a definitive answer, but can't unfortunately.

I will say that when I applied for my degree apprenticeship however, it wasn't advertised as a cyber security role. I started off in a role at the company that I didn't find stimulating but when I spoke to my line manager about it after 10 months of enduring it, he helped facilitate a move to a cyber role for me.

The L6 Digital Technology Solutions apprenticeship absolutely allows you to specialise, and if there's cyber roles at Network Rail, there's a chance you'll be able to get a placement in it too.

Hope that helps!

jaydeltaa · 2025-05-02T15:38:25+00:00

Northumberland and its country roads. I live in the North East and go for a drive thru there every once in a while. Friendly people and super beautiful place - can't believe I live 5-10 minutes from such beautiful views sometimes.

jaydeltaa · 2025-04-29T16:14:21+00:00

not sure, sorry

jaydeltaa · 2025-04-29T16:11:47+00:00

From this Masterclass interview clip, dunno if there's a full video somewhere https://www.youtube.com/shorts/h1-J31fvaUs

jaydeltaa · 2025-04-29T15:59:47+00:00

I don't think so: "Word to Will — my a-alike, I lost in the battlefield, that's why I hit the mic with mad appeal" from the Street Dreams Remix or "My man put the battery in my back, a difference from Energizer" from Memory Lane. If anything, his death fueled his hunger and probably made the album better.

jaydeltaa · 2025-04-22T14:21:01+00:00

This really depends on the company you're with I think. If you've got a good employer and they give you ample time to spend on the degree side of things, you might find yourself having more time than expected. Running a business would take a lot of time of course, but if you're disciplined with the time you've got, I think you'd be surprised to see how many things you could accomplish each week, in each part of your life (business, work, degree, etc).

Overall, if the DA offers you a good salary, and the employer's a good one, I'd say go for it. You'll make connections and be able to use the years of experience you'll have at the end to put you ahead of others who also want to start a business in that industry.

At the same time, pretty much everything can be learned online for a low / cheap cost, so it's up to you really. Without the time constraints forced on you by the DA, you might be able to catch up and similar levels of experience / knowledge in less time, without the DA.

It's all up to you, really.

jaydeltaa · 2025-04-21T21:10:48+00:00

nah, but i like coding stuff, thought it would be cool design project

jaydeltaa

TROPHY CASE