Alumni Interview: Harry Muter, Technology Developer

Recently, we welcomed Icenian Alumni Harry Muter back to Langley School to speak to our students about his career in Tech and his life after Langley.

We are pleased to include the following interview, which was conducted by Head Girl Lily-Ann H (U6), which outlines Harry’s journey to working within the Technology Industry:

 

Icenian Interview with Harry Muter

Lily-Ann H

Harry Muter joined Langley in Year 9 (2008) from Town Close School and instantly appreciated Langley’s academic drive, but more importantly, how it focused on developing students as people. Though he felt that IT at Langley was basic, the extracurricular activities allowed him to explore his other interests, such as coding.

After his time at Langley School, Harry took a year out of full-time education to retake his Maths A-level, by attending school one day a week. This allowed him to enter the University of East Anglia, where he studied for a BA and MA in Computer Science. From the start, Harry knew he wanted to work in Tech, and performed well enough in his BA to earn him a scholarship for his MA. Following his time at UEA, he worked for Aviva, which gave him insight into corporate life.

Harry advised our curious students that Computer-Science is comprised of logic-based subjects like Maths and Physics, but is also project-based, so not being strong in Maths will not hinder your progress. The other areas focus on collaborative working, and preparing students for workplace environments.

Harry now works in optimising services, saving money, and improving efficiency for Cambridge University Publishers. He spoke about different roles within the tech environment, such as ‘User teams’ who survey people using systems to improve experiences and ‘Scrum experts’ who focus on team productivity – a role highly in demand with global opportunities. His career involves moving around in different roles, he started as a front-end developer but has since shifted roles multiple times. His advice was that ‘progression often involves sideways movement before moving upwards.’ He told the attendees that working in Tech can be intense, so taking breaks, socialising, and enjoying life is key.

Harry believes that his A-level subject choices have been extremely useful in his current career. At Langley School, he studied Maths, IT, and Business, all of which he uses in his day-to-day life. Actives and other extracurriculars provided by Langley helped him to develop problem-solving and teamwork skills, which he stated are so “valuable” in an industry like this.

During the interview, Harry also reassured pupils that there are many different ways to get into the Tech world such as apprenticeships, which are hugely valuable for firsthand learning and improving collaboration skills.

Finally, three questions for our Icenian guests:

What advice would you give 18-year-old Harry before heading into the workplace?

In response to this question, Harry said to not stress about the long term. Instead, he advises you to focus on what is in front of you and say yes to as many opportunities as you can.

What skill or ability do you have (or wish you had) that has been most valuable in your career to date?

Relationship building has been key for Harry, as knowing the right people makes a huge difference. He also commented that “being nice is free” – encouraging pupils to be kind to everyone they meet.

Standing where you are now, what is the most important lesson you have learned?

Once again, Harry emphasised the importance of kindness as “it gets you so far in life”. He said that even in stressful times, compassion matters. He also said to take a moment to focus on where you are, not just rush forward, and enjoy the now.