Finlay Sturrock

What's your long term ambition?

My long term ambition is to progress further in the field of cybersecurity, developing my own abilities whilst helping companies increase their capabilities with cyber defence. Particularly focussing on the consultancy side as I enjoy the interaction between people of all abilities and knowledge when discussing security.

How are you feeling now that your time at Abertay has come to an end?

I am leaving Abertay feeling achieved and thankful for the opportunities it provided during my time of study. I'm fully ready to start my next adventure and glad I chose Abertay as my place of study with the support that was provided throughout my time there.

Why did you decide to study at Abertay?

Abertay was a good choice for me as it is the home of the Ethical Hacking course. I discovered the course in high school while deciding if I would like to pursue a career in IT as I already had a passion for computers. Immediately I took an interest in cyber security and after further research decided that Abertay's offering was the best for me. After finishing high school and attending Dundee and Angus College to achieve an HNC in Computing, the link and direct entry path between the College and Abertay made the course much more comfortable to join and a smooth direct entry into second year.

What were the highlights of your time at Abertay?

One of the biggest highlights has to be participating in the Ethical Hacking Society as well as being Vice-President during 2020/21. Keeping up the social aspect of the society online during lockdowns was key to keeping the motivation going and engaging in conversation with like-minded people. Attending the Hacksoc's Conference, Securi-Tay, in 2019 and 2022 was also one of the big highlights as it brought the social aspect together with the ability to learn new things from within the industry as well as other students.

How did you find having to move to online learning due to COVID-19?

It was a difficult transition but the work put in by my lecturers to shift the course online made the move much easier. Being in a computer based course, I also consider myself in the slightly luckier group due to the easier transition to online, where most of our content was already accessible. It was tougher to complete coursework without access to the University, but the with the additional support of students and lecturers, we all managed to complete our studies.