Alumni

James Phillips

I joined Northumbria with very little formal education in the field I was studying, but I had a great personal interest in Digital Design. The course set me up for complete success and has allowed me to pursue a career I love. Since graduating, I've worked in a range of fields, from VR game development to designing mobile apps for crypto start-ups and international restaurant chains. I currently work as an Experience Designer at Moody's.

What are you doing now?

I'm based within the New Product Innovation team at Moody's. We act as an incubator, creating new tools to support businesses with risk management, credit analysis, and economic research. We function as a sort of in-house design agency, managing a range of interesting products, until they're ready to be released before developing something new.

What was it about Northumbria that made you decide to study here?

Northumbria offered a high-level Digital Design course, allowing me to focus on the areas of design that interested me most. It also meant I was set up perfectly to pursue a career in User Experience (UX) Design, which was relatively unheard of at the time. Combining that with the wonderful city of Newcastle made it a very easy choice.

What was it like studying at Northumbria?

I had a great time while studying at Northumbria. The course structure and workshop-style classes really suited my way of learning. Our classes were a good size for studio projects, which made it a lot easier to have conversations and raise questions with staff, as well as making friends

What impressed you most about our academic staff?

All of my lecturers were very approachable and made lots of time for all students. It made the workload a lot more manageable as there was always someone to go to if I had an issue or problem to discuss.

How connected was your course with industry?

The course really aimed to follow industry-leading practices, which really helped as I began my career. We also had many sessions guiding us on different ways of working, as well as support for writing CVs and applying for jobs, and lots of talks presented by industry experts from exciting companies.

How did studying at Northumbria help you achieve your career goals/give your career an edge?

The focus we had on our careers was really eye-opening for me. Hearing from industry experts and being given access to specialty events such as hackathons really set me up to succeed.

What was the best thing about your course?

The freedom. Every brief was left intentionally open. It meant we had a class full of different ideas, which in turn generated a lot of inspiration. I was constantly encouraged to push what I was capable of.

Which skills/knowledge did you learn on your course that you use most now throughout your career?

Problem-solving. The broad approach of the course exposed me to a ton of new software and ways of approaching problems. It's a definite benefit and something I don't think a lot of people are fortunate enough to experience.