How Student Futures helped me decide on my future career path
CU Student Futures / Dyfodol Myfyrwyr CU
Your future starts now | Mae dy ddyfodol yn dechrau nawr
By Khadija Uddin, MSc International Management
?My experience with Student Futures has been both insightful, and positively encouraging! I first accessed support from Student Futures and Careers Advisors when I was in my second year of university. It was this year, I started to think more about my future career and what elements of my degree I wanted to focus on more specifically. When I accessed the support from the university and met an advisor for the first time, I felt so reassured! It is always a really calming feeling to have someone reassure you of the direction that you are heading in, whilst providing some pointers and tips that can influence your direction more positively.
What I really liked from our initial meeting was that we could sort of strategise a plan of action for moving forward, which involved considering how to find work experience opportunities that would support my applications in the future. I studied Journalism, Communications and Politics for my undergraduate, and realised that rather than focusing on the journalism aspect of my joint honour’s degree, what appealed to me was the politics aspect. I began my search for more public sector-oriented opportunities, and I came across an opportunity on the Student Futures Jobs Board, in NHS Wales! I thought, wow, this is absolutely what I wanted, a chance to explore project management in a real working environment, that was different to the work I had already been exposed to.
Then came the application process, where I initially felt overwhelmed, as I really wanted to excel. I met with an advisor again, who gave me tailored advice on my application, CV and cover letter, which really strengthened my confidence in my ability to communicate my strengths and skillset to apply to the working world!
领英推荐
From then, I have secured two NHS project management internships, with Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW)! Working on these projects has been such a unique and insightful experience. With the immense support from Student Futures, I have developed my capacity to relay information in a way that showcases my skills effectively, which is crucial when recruiters are looking at applications.
The most recent internship I completed was in HEIW’s Quality Unit, within Research Governance. I learnt valuable skills such as critical thinking, data analysis, and enhanced my understanding of how to apply the theoretical knowledge I have gained from degree and apply it at a practical level. I really enjoyed this opportunity, as it was such a strongly structured internship with various elements incorporated to develop our skills as interns, and knowledge of NHS structures. It really opened my eyes to how large the NHS really is, and how we as students can contribute an impactful effect to its operations!
When you are concerned about an application, or your future job prospects, I would absolutely recommend accessing the Student Futures support, as you can go further and reach different opportunities you may not have been aware existed and are relevant to your degree discipline! Student Futures can really guide you and recommend some fantastic opportunities that can make such a huge difference to your CV and experience set!