Soton Student Gets Book Published

Do you have an entrepreneurial spark? Current Fourth Year Electronic Engineering student Tom Bell certainly does! We had a chat with him to talk about the new textbook he’s written, and to ask a […]


Do you have an entrepreneurial spark? Current Fourth Year Electronic Engineering student Tom Bell certainly does! We had a chat with him to talk about the new textbook he’s written, and to ask a few other crucial questions…

Hi Tom. First things first, what is your textbook called and what is it about?

The book’s called ‘Programming for Everyday Life: Introductory Coding for Beginners’. It’s a short introduction to the background, basic principles and real-world applications of computer programming. It’s intended to be a broad introductory book to the main themes in computer programming and to inspire the reader to continue stretching themselves.

Tom eyeing up his creation!

Who would you say this book is aimed it? The topic may seem daunting to some!

It’s aimed at university students, graduates and professionals who are reasonably familiar with mathematical or procedural thinking (such as Physicists, Chemists, Mathematicians and Engineers), as well as anyone else who might have an interest in programming! It’s intended to be welcoming and interesting to all, and is by no means limited to Engineering or Computer Science students.

So how and when did the idea for your book first come about?

I first had the idea to write this book about a year ago. I’ve been asked about computer programming a lot over the past few years- many of my friends have asked what it is, how it’s relevant and what it’s used for. I wanted to give students and young people the knowledge and inspiration that I would have wanted when I started to program.

Did you have to make any personal sacrifices whilst writing your book?

I gave up almost all of my free time over the summer!

Have you got any other projects in the pipeline?

I’m working on a new kind of blogging platform as well as a website teaching people how to program computers. I’ve got a couple of ideas for future follow-up books to Programming for Everyday Life, so keep an eye out!

Describe your time at Southampton Uni in three words…

Stimulating, exciting and foundational.

And finally, a couple of integral questions- Roosters or Nando’s?

Roosters any day.

Jesters or Sobar?

Sobar!

If you would like to buy Programming for Everyday Life: Introductory Coding for Beginners it’s now available as both a Kindle e-book at just £5 and in paperback at £9 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Programming-Everyday-Life-Introductory-Beginners-ebook/dp/B00NRY36M0)

Here’s the Facebook page for those wishing to find out more! (https://www.facebook.com/ProgrammingForEverydayLife)

Know a student who’s written a book? Or done something equally as wild and impressive? Let us know!