Successes from Sheffield Hallam: Spotlight on Local Graduates at PKF SCS

If there’s one thing you need to know about us, it’s that we’re incredibly proud of our people.

That includes a large number of graduates, many from universities in areas local to our offices. Two of our recent additions – Sage Developer, Karol Kierzkowski, and Sage 200 Developer, Kieran Foy – are both graduates of Sheffield Hallam University.

In this article, we’re talking to Karol and Kieran about their university experiences, their path to working for us, and their thoughts on the company in general.

Why did you go to Sheffield Hallam University (SHU)?

Karol: Living in Sheffield, SHU was one of the local options that I considered. It had an interesting Computer Science programme that was less old-fashioned, and receiving an unconditional offer only sweetened the deal.

Kieran: I chose Sheffield Hallam because it was close to home and I could commute there easily. Also, I was already familiar with the university from previous visits and felt it was a more relaxed environment than other universities.

What course did you study and why did you choose it?

Karol: BSc Computer Science was a subject I knew I wanted to study as far back as I can remember. It is very similar to the Software Engineering course with many overlapping modules. Whilst Software Engineering is more geared towards software/app development, Computer Science delved more into the theory, including modules such as Algorithms And Data Structures, Concurrent And Parallel Systems, Functional Programming, and Mathematics.

Kieran: I studied Software Engineering because I enjoy programming and solving problems. Through my degree I knew I would be able to take these skills to the next level.

What made you want to work in the Development Team here at PKF SCS?

Karol: I worked at another Sage 200 partner during my placement year. This meant that, along with the experience I gained during my time at university, and developing side projects in my free time, I had plenty of skills that I could apply effectively to a field such as Sage 200 development.

Kieran: After being approached to join the Development team, and hearing about the opportunity to work alongside other like-minded people developing high-quality software solutions for Sage, I knew I couldn’t pass it up.

What are you enjoying the most about working at PKF SCS so far?

Karol: Working in an agile team, such as the one at PKF SCS, means that my contributions, both in code and supporting the rest of the team, have a much more significant impact, as opposed to working on a larger scale. This allows me to utilise some of the skills and experience I’ve gained over the years with more modern development stacks, techniques and software architecture patterns, helping to develop more efficient, resilient and modern codebases. It’s also allowing me to start introducing more modern components to the Sage 200 development stack, such as Blazor.

Kieran: I am enjoying the challenges and learning lots about coding and Sage in the industry, which I wouldn’t have been able to do before.

Would you recommend others to apply to PKF SCS after university?

Karol: In regards to Sage 200 development, given the niche nature of it (using a rather more dated Microsoft .NET Framework and WinForms tech stack) fresh university graduates with no previous exposure to Sage 200 will struggle, as they’ll most likely have been learning more modern development such as web app development (using frameworks such as React or VueJS), only dabbling in Object Orientated languages such as Java or C# for specific modules as or when required.

Kieran: Absolutely. It’s an excellent opportunity after study to work with real-world professionals at a level you would struggle to match anywhere else.

Our team is always growing – if you would like to join us, visit our Careers page and see what roles are available!

About PKF Smith Cooper Systems: Founded in 2014, PKF Smith Cooper Systems is a Sage Business Partner, with its Head Office in Derby. They work across the UK, implementing Sage’s business accounting software into companies of all shapes and sizes. The company has consistently been one of the Top 3 Sage 200 partners in the UK for the last 5 years and are currently Sage’s UKI Customer Success Partner of the Year 2023 – recognising excellence in customer acquisition, development, retention and support. 

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