Twenty year old Sophie McCartney from Paisley admits to having felt a lot of pressure when deciding what to do when she left school. Finding it tough to begin mapping out her life at such a young age, Sophie decided to enrol on a Computing course at West College Scotland, as it was a subject she found interesting and she knew the career prospects were good. On completion of this course, Sophie opted to stay at West College Scotland but went for a change in direction and applied to study Music.

Now, two years later, Sophie is currently working towards her HND and is thoroughly enjoying her course. She is glad to have had the courage to change direction and urges others to pursue what they love.

I feel there are many opportunities from this course that I wouldn’t get anywhere else.

Listing the skills she has honed while studying Music, Sophie mentions performing, recording and designing artwork for posters and CD and vinyl covers. She says that no two days of her course are the same, and that she is constantly networking with other musicians and behind-the-scenes workers. While Sophie’s initial aim was to focus on live performance, she has been impressed with all aspects of her course, and is constantly pushing herself to develop as a performer.

I’ve been given many opportunities and am taking them all. It feels amazingly satisfying getting to do so much.

Sophie is finding it fascinating to gain an insight into the technical side of things, and has been learning how to set up recording sessions and create digital designs to go alongside her music. Keen to learn new skills and keep up with ever-changing trends, it is this attitude which will ensure that Sophie will go far in the industry.

Having recently applied for a third year university course in Music, Sophie is optimistic that she can use the skills she has gained at WCS to her advantage. With many different routes available to musicians, the ultimate goal for Sophie is to have a career as a performer and recording artist. We wish Sophie the best of luck in her studies and her future career!

I feel WCS really does support their students, and there is a course to suit everyone.

In order to find out more about, or apply for, our music courses, click here.

For all other courses, click here.