Tom puts his computer theory into practice for everyday programming

ECS final-year student Tom Bell is already sharing the benefits of his undergraduate degree. Tom has written a beginners guide to practical programming, now available on Amazon as a Kindle e-book, and in paperback.

Programming for Everyday Life provides the basics of programming in Python; programming for the Web and how to use technology to create applications, services and tools that transform lives.

Tom hopes that his book will be particularly useful for Physics, Maths and Chemistry students who could benefit from understanding more about practical computation, and who already possess the procedural thinking that programmers need. ‘It’s not about dumbing it down,’ he says, ‘but rather it's about making programming accessible to all who want to learn, create and reinvent.’

Currently in the final year of the MEng course in Electronic Engineering with Mobile and Secure Systems at the University of Southampton, Tom is passionate about getting the essential skills of programming into the hands of students, professionals and those out of work, in order to provide them with the tools to achieve more in everyday life.

In addition to the skills gained on his degree programme, Tom has worked as a freelance developer and within a range of companies, taking ideas and making them a reality for customers. He founded his own software development consulting company, Eminode Software and is actively involved in delivering software solutions and advice to start-ups.

During Freshers Week, Tom also launched a new online platform called Uni Media Mash Southampton, which enables students to list textbooks, CDs, DVDs, games, consoles, screens and more for sale and to link with prospective buyers.