Spencer Armitage
What’s your background?
"I was terrible at school to be honest. I didn’t have that much interest in it. The only thing I knew I was good at and wanted to pursue in any way was Information Technology (IT). I loved computer games and wanted to get involved somehow in producing them.
After I finished school at 16, I decided to go down the GNVQ route to do a course in IT. It was only in my second year at college that university began to seem like a real possibility."
You’re in your second year now. How do you feel about the higher education experience as a whole?
"It’s good fun….but there’s a lot of pressure on you. I’ve got ten assignments to do at the moment! It’s a lot harder than I imagined it to be."
What’s the best thing about being a student?
"Meeting people from all over the country. You get all sorts at uni: people from all walks of life. I also really enjoy the shared accommodation and living with my housemates. My ‘real’ home is only 40 minutes away, but it’s much better living away than being stuck at home."
What’s the worst thing?
"The pressure! You get no extensions and if you don’t hand your work in you fail."
Do you think you had enough information about course choice before you came to university?
"Yes. There were prospectuses available, open days, that sort of thing. I pretty much knew what to expect."
And what about money? Is the level of debt what you expected?
"Arrrrghh! It’s horrible and I feel completely overwhelmed. My debt level is looking like £14,000 at the moment and it will go higher. I spend £6,000 a year on accommodation and tuition fees. What happens if I fail? How will I pay it all back?!"
So what are you going to do? Look for work?
"Absolutely. I plan to look very hard for work this summer. I need the money."
And your £1,000 Futuretrack win? How will you spend it?
"I’m going to put some of it towards a ticket for the Leeds festival, and buy a new electric guitar. Other than that, I’ll stick the rest in the bank."
Do you think about your career at all?
"I’m strange in this respect in comparison to my other friends - I’ve known what I wanted to do since I was a kid. I got a game when I was 11: ‘Final Fantasy 7’ and ever since then I’ve wanted to be a computer games programmer. I even know what company I want to work for too - Squareenix!"
