Earlier this month over two-dozen alumni from the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences came back to Bristol for the annual Biomedical Sciences Alumni Careers Evening, an event designed to help current students find out more about the wide range of careers open to them.
The event has grown continually, with this year’s being the largest ever. Over 180 students came along to meet management consultants, university professors, company directors, medical students, wildlife film makers and science communication professionals, among many others.
The evening gave students the opportunity to hear a number of short talks from the alumni to find out about their career paths since leaving Bristol. Students then had the opportunity to ask their own questions about topics such as how their degree has helped them in the workplace, what different careers are really like and what type of work experience is required for certain careers.
Students from all years of study across the Faculty were welcome to attend, from those who were in the early stages of career planning to those targeting specific positions. Those who hadn’t really given life after university much thought and had no idea what they wanted to do found it very useful to speak to people who had been in their position.
When asked what the most useful part of the evening was they said:
‘Seeing and hearing from people on different career paths highlighted areas that I might consider working in once graduated’
‘I enjoyed that the speakers were so varied in career path, it gave me confidence that I can use my degree for many roles’
‘Listening to speakers who went down different career paths and how they got there and why was very encouraging’
If you want to benefit from speaking to alumni it’s worth keeping an eye out for events that may be taking place in your school or society, in particular for the Faculty of Science Alumni Careers Evening taking place in February 2018.
Don’t forget that you can contact alumni all year round through LinkedIn and Bristol Connects. For more information on contacting alumni and professionals take a look at the Careers Service website.