Julian Bill

Julian graduated from Aber in 1996 with an MEng degree in Software Engineering. He now works for Google in California.

What do you remember most about your time at Aber?

I have many wonderful memories of Aber, from my first year in Plynlymon Hall, away rugby matches in so many beautiful places, an intense but fascinating final year project and, most of all, the close circle of friends that I took with me. Great times.

What are you doing now career-wise and how has your Aberystwyth degree helped?

I'm a Product Manager for Pandora in Oakland, California and, prior to that worked for Google, managing a team of sales engineers and technical account managers. My degree in Software Engineering was a perfect start to my technical career and instilled engineering practices in me that are as valid now as they were in 1996.

What advice would you have for a student doing your course now?

If you're passionate about what you do, embrace it and don't be afraid to show it. The happiest, most successful people in the Internet business are those that truly love what they do and are able to instil that passion in others. More prosaically, make sure you know your stats. Big data, and the ability to extract meaning from it, is critical.