Throwback Thursday - Daniel Walsh

Deciding what to study when you come to Winstanley can sometimes be tricky, since we have so many course combinations to choose from. This week we are catching up with fantastic former student Daniel Walsh, who based his subject choices from his interests at the time of applying.

Daniel joined us from Bridgewater High School, Worsley, and studied here from 2014 to 2016. His chosen subjects were Maths, ICT, Economics and History. Daniel also participated in sporting events including tennis and basketball, and he volunteered for the IT department on Open Evenings. On top of this, there were amazing opportunities for travel that Daniel seized, such as a visit to the Bank of England in London with Economics, and a trip to the cities of Rome and Pompeii with History!

After leaving Winstanley in 2016, Daniel went on to study Accounting and Financial Management at Loughborough University. A year of his course involved working in the industry as a Finance Project Intern for a bank. Following this experience, Daniel wasn’t as sure on a career in accountancy, but knew he wanted to utilise his mathematical and analytical skills. An industry showing rapid growth and a reliance on Daniel’s skill-set is the data industry, and so he sought out an opportunity in this field.

In 2020, after graduating, Daniel began working for Kubrick Group, a team of Data Management Consultants specialising in the data industry. Daniel applied for the role right as the country went into the first national lockdown, and so it was months until he heard anything! The interview process was a combination of a telephone interview, an online assessment centre, delivering an online presentation, and finally a virtual interview with a member of the leadership team. Daniel spent his first 15 weeks on an intensive course of training, covering a variety of specialist skills in coding and industry recognised software.

Since completing his initial training, Daniel has been assigned a client placement, working for Mars Petcare as an Analytics Engineer. His main role is to act as the middle ground between the data engineers and the data analysts, providing support and guidance. A key element of Daniel’s job is exploratory work to understand the data and what can be gained from it. He is really enjoying the job and the responsibilities that come with it.

When asked what advice Daniel would give to students thinking about joining our Winstanley community, he said:

‘Don't worry if you don't know what you want to for a career yet, I didn't, even after I finished university! There is no rush to figure it out. When thinking about A-level choices, don't let your friends’ choices influence your decision or think what people want or expect you to do. I chose what I enjoyed and went from there. Additionally, whether going down the university route, or straight into employment, it is important to do thorough research into any companies/universities you are looking at to ensure they are the right fit for you.

The teachers are passionate about their subjects and want you to succeed. So much support is provided by subject tutors as well as your personal tutor and they are always there if you have any questions!’

Where could Winstanley take you? Come along to one of our Open Evenings to explore our facilities, meet the teachers, and delve into the countless course combinations on offer.