Helping you get to where you want to be when you graduate
Bristol Mentors provides successful student applicants with an alumni mentor working in the sector/industry they are aiming to break into.
Mentorship can be an enriching experience and our student mentees are always happy to tell us more about the range of benefits they have gained whilst on the programme.
We caught up with Elena about looking beyond the arts and sciences divide with interdisciplinary work.
“It can feel as though there‘s a massive gap between an arts career and a science career, and once you pick a side, you’re stranded there.
The popularity of Sylvia Plath’s fig tree analogy shows just how many people feel like the choices they make close off all other potential futures. I definitely felt this when I was choosing my degree.
There was a sense of finality – that this was my specialism and other routes were now closed. After a lot of back and forth and deliberation, I chose ‘arts’ and studied Art Foundation and then English Literature at University – and I thought that was the end of that for other subjects.
(more…)“But, once I started my job search, I realised pretty quickly that the door to other disciplines never really closes.”
In this blog post, we will explore the meaning and importance of career resilience, and most importantly, how you can develop and strengthen this valuable trait, both as you apply for jobs, and navigate workplace challenges.
(more…)However, grad schemes aren’t the only route into graduate employment and it’s OK if your career doesn’t have the most conventional beginning, middle, or end.
At the start of October, five Bristol alumni joined Bristol Connects Live: Squiggly Careers Alumni Panel event, to prove that their ‘squiggly’ career paths have been just as valuable, if not more so, to their personal and professional development than a traditional, linear path.
From starting a career with Teach First to now working for Amazon; an English degree to a Senior Data Scientist at Deliveroo; or even a History degree to Editor for the Financial Times, these alumni shared their career journeys to prove that your first job won’t necessarily be your forever job.
Graduates of these disciplines are curious, creative, investigative and impactful, and AHSS degrees help us to understand ourselves, our society and our place in the world.
But what about their value in a career context? This is where unhelpful narratives about them being less ‘valuable’, come into play, such as that they lead to inferior job prospects. But there is so much evidence to challenge this.
Not all PhD students will face these risks or challenges, but it’s important to be aware of them so that you can be prepared. Indeed, the biggest risk would be stumbling into any of these problems unawares!
The Careers Service are here to help you make the best decision for you. If you would like to speak to us about any of the areas for consideration we’ve listed below, get in touch!
Pursuing a PhD can be expensive. Research students need to pay for tuition, fees, and other expenses such as travel or registration fees for conferences, and whilst funding is available for these, this may not cover everything.
So, the risk of debt and financial stress is something to be aware of.
Here are some factors to consider when deciding if a PhD is right for you:
One of the most important factors to consider when deciding whether to pursue a PhD is your motivation and passion for the subject. A PhD is a research-focused degree based on a significant amount of independent work and dedication.
Without genuine interest and a deep sense of curiosity about the subject, it will be challenging to maintain the motivation required to complete a PhD.
As you will be dedicating several years of your life to researching and writing your thesis (the argument your research makes), it is crucial that you are passionate about it. Otherwise, you may struggle to see it through.
(more…)Rather than focusing on a particular sector or industry, career anchors encourage you to think about what you value in a job or workplace and where your skills lie.
The concept of career anchors was developed by psychologist Edgar Schein who laid out eight distinct career anchors …
Data is everywhere, so data analytics is critical in helping businesses improve all types of decision outcomes.
Technology is constantly unearthing new ways to be innovative and efficient, making it an equally exciting and challenging area to work within.
On 14 March 2023, we were joined by three speakers who shared their experiences of internship, leadership, and entrepreneurship within these evolving areas of the technological industry, and how students from a range of academic backgrounds can go into them.
Our speakers were:
Teik Keat Tee
Finance Business Intelligence Intern
Sam Haynes
Head of Risk Analytics
Helen Tanner
Director at Data Cubed