The Legit Baines Blog

Hallam University Taught Me New Things Plus Also How to Learn Even More Now that I've finished my university journey, I’ve been reflecting on how much I’ve grown, not just in terms of knowledge, but in the very process of learning itself. University has opened my eyes to entire worlds of technology I never imagined exploring, from databases to Artificial Intelligence (AI), and from the Internet of Things (IoT) to programming. But what stands out most to me is how university has taught me not just new things, but also how to learn new things, even on my own. The New Things I’ve Learned When I first walked into university, I had a basic understanding of technology and programming. But the subjects I’ve encountered throughout my studies have completely transformed my perspective on what is possible. Here are just a few of the most exciting things I’ve learned: 1. Databases Learning about databases has shown me how the power of data is structured, stored, and retrieved. I never tr...

 Reintroducing Cuthbert Baines For New People In His Network As a recent IT graduate I'm new to the IT industry so I don't have the kinds of professional connections I need to be given a head-start, I'm one of the many new IT graduates applying for the relatively few  graduate jobs out there.  I am prioritising my personal and professional development right now.  I wish I had gone to University 20 years ago but for reasons outside my control I was written off at 16 so I missed out.  I don't give up easily up so I finally went to Hallam University when I was 35 and got a 2.1 in computing in 2025, now I'm willing to go the extra mile and do what needs to be done to make up for lost time!  I had to get a job when I was 18 so I've got the professionalism, life experience and wisdom of a (late) 30-something who's worked his entire adult life combined with the youthful intellectual energy of an explorer and a pioneer new to the IT sector with his own fresh innov...

Baines is on a path of continuous personal development, his next target is the programming language C++  💪💪💪  I’ve always believed that growth happens when you deliberately step outside your comfort zone. That’s exactly why I’ve started learning C++. I’m constantly looking for ways to raise my programming game to the next level, and C++ feels like a natural progression—especially as I continue aiming for a future in embedded systems . Even though I haven’t yet had my big break into the professional embedded world, I want to be ready when the right opportunity appears. Preparation meets opportunity-that’s the goal. C++ is powerful, fast, and close to the hardware, which makes it ideal for embedded development. It forces you to think more carefully about memory, performance, and system design. That challenge is exactly what attracts me. I don’t just want to write code that works-I want to understand what’s happening under the hood. By building a strong foundation in C++, I’m...

I have always been good with numbers, when I was at school I did my Maths GCSE a year early and got a B. Unfortunately I had a lot of bad things going on in my life at the time so I didn’t go forward with University at that time.  Fast forward a decade or two and now I’m a recent graduate from Hallam University , I went there as a mature student to do a degree in computing and the course involved loads of data related modules. During my Computing course at Hallam University I spent a lot of time learning about data, databases, data cleaning , data processing, data management, data analytics and data visualisations . The course also involved a number of assignments that included a power point presentations in front of tutors and answering their questions about the work afterwards. Presentations were something I was very comfortable doing. I learned to collect raw sensor data using a Raspberry Pin (or from a pico using micropython/circuitpython), I learned that it is absolu...

 Becoming an IT Graduate as a Mature Student: The Reality No One Talks About Going to university as a mature student was one of the hardest and most rewarding things I’ve ever done. Studying IT later in life meant juggling responsibilities, self-doubt, and the pressure of starting again in a completely new industry. Graduating felt like a huge achievement. But stepping into the job market as a new IT graduate who isn’t new to work at all came with its own set of challenges. What I quickly realised is that breaking into IT as a mature graduate isn’t just about technical skills. It’s about confidence, reframing experience, and learning how to tell your story in a way employers understand. Sheffield Hallam University Challenging the Assumptions of Employers and Recruiters One of the first hurdles I encountered was assumption. There’s a quiet expectation in some recruitment processes that a “graduate” is young, fresh out of university, and at the very start of their working life. ...

  One Problem, Loads of Solutions One of the things I love most about computer programming is that there’s rarely just one “correct” way to solve a problem. Give ten developers the same task and you’ll likely get ten different solutions - all of which might work perfectly well. In programming, the how often matters less than the does it work . The approach you choose is shaped by your own technical background, the time you have available, and the resources you can realistically access. If your solution works, then it works and you weren’t wrong just because someone else took a different route to get to the same destination. That’s something worth remembering, especially when comparing projects or reading other people’s code. A different solution doesn’t automatically mean a better or worse one; it just means different constraints, priorities, or preferences were at play. One developer might prioritise speed of development, another long-term scalability, and another simplicity or...