Icenian Interview – Nick B

Former Head Boy Nick B was at Langley between 2007 and 2014, gaining A-Levels in Maths, Physics and Biology. Here he tells us how school prepared him for university and his onward career.

Did you know what career you wanted to follow when you were at Langley?

I wasn’t completely decided on what I wanted to do as a career, but Langley helped me develop a strong passion for the sciences and maths, which stood me in good stead when applying for jobs.

Which co-curricular activities were you involved in?

Rugby was my main sport and I was out on the pitches at every chance I got; it featured in a big way during my time at school, all the way up to the 1st XV, but I also participated in a variety of other sports such as cricket and football.

The school allowed me to go on some incredible trips, including Indonesia with Operation Wallacea for Biology, and Iceland with Geography.

Have these activities helped within your career and given you transferable skills?

The team skills developed through sports and problem solving in DoE were useful in my university and job applications. Also the leadership and communication skills I learned through being Head Boy and rugby captain through my years at the school helped greatly in my job and university projects.

Tell us about your career after school

I went to the University of Birmingham and studied Biomedical Science. I then started working for KPMG in October 2018 on their graduate scheme based in Cambridge. Through this I am studying towards my ACA accounting qualification and once I have achieved this I shall assess how I want to further my career. I am hoping to go into the science industry in the future but from a finance perspective, instead of the research side, which is the direction my degree originally took me in.

Did your time at Langley help inform your career choices and your attitude to your career progression?

Langley gave me a solid grounding in the sciences and maths, allowing me to have a wide choice of career to go into. Even though I didn’t have my current career in mind until later, school allowed me to pursue the option due to the skills and experiences I developed while I was there.

Is there any advice you would like to give to students currently considering their A-Levels and career choices?

There are so many options out there for what you are able to go into, make sure you research lots and make the most of what the school has to offer to best achieve your goals.