Edinburgh Napier's 50th Anniversary 1964-2014 Volume 1 | Page 24

Luci Anderson, BA Interior Design, 1993 “My dissertation, for which I received first prize, led to interest from Scottish Television, where I worked for ten years on set design for both studio and drama productions, working my way up from art department assistant to art director and designer. I think the general grounding in design really helped and I still use some of the knowledge today. 93 “In 2007, I started my own business as a venue dresser and decorator, mostly for weddings. As a sole trader, I’m responsible for all the admin, organisation, stock, accounts, design, dressing and events – in fact, whatever is required. The best part of my job now is transforming venues and surpassing the client’s hopes. My plans are to build the company and hopefully take on additional full-time staff.” Craig Cockburn, MSc Large Software, 1994 “Edinburgh Napier played a big part in shaping my career. The course gave me tools and experience which were relevant and transferable – I secured work almost immediately. Twenty years after graduation, many of the skills and experience I gained are still relevant. “When I was studying, we only had email access. The web was in its earliest days and access to download research material from other universities was difficult. I became one of the first students to get internet access – I bought a PC, which was £1,500 second hand (£4,000 new!) and with the aid of a dial-up 14.4K modem was able to continue my studies and research online during the Christmas break. As part of my degree, I researched email clients and the one I chose for my thesis remained in use in the department for several years. It was particularly rewarding to learn that my research had a positive, lasting effect on the department. 94 “Shortly after completing my degree, I used the computer I had bought to write the first online guide to Scotland and was subsequently listed in Email Addresses of the Rich and Famous next to President Clinton! “I returned to the University more than 10 years after graduation to attend evening classes at the business school, as part of my application to the British Computer Society for Chartered IT professional status. The return visit brought back many happy memories even though a lot had changed – there were no mobile phones or easy access to the Internet when I was a student first time round!” Did you know… That Edinburgh Napier has delivered degrees in Hong Kong for 25 years and outwith the UK has the largest number of alumni (over 7,500).