What Do You Actually Do?

Kate is  joined by Juany Murphy, who is Director of International Relations at the Otra Cosa Network, an International Development charity and alongside her, is one of her volunteers, Kate Geraghty. They discuss the satisfaction of making an impact with their work coupled against the precarious nature of funding for international development. Juany and Kate also share their tips and advice for breaking into this sector.

Juany's Bio

NGO - Founder and Director of Otra Cosa Network (OCN) with many years’ experience of creating and implementing sustainable development projects in Latin America.
Skilled and experienced manager of people and resources, able to work alone or in a team, at an operational or strategic level.
Consultant working in international development, with specific expertise in education, health promotion, women’s and girls’ rights programming within a range of organisations, including project management and volunteer service programs.
Country experience in UK, Peru, Brazil and Mozambique.

In this episode, Kate chats to George Young. George graduated in History and undertook the Change 100 internship programme which matches graduates with any disability or long term condition with progressive employers.

Through the programme, George secured an internship with the NHS Confederation working in the People and Culture department.

George and Kate discuss the process of applying for the programme, using transferable skills and George's thoughts on how their disabilities have impacted their career.

Kate chats to Laura Gravini-Rodriguez who is a senior associate with DAI, a large employee owned International Development company. 

Laura gives us an insight into her role and the many routes into International Development work. She explains the personal qualities she feels are key to her work and the skills she developed as an international student in the UK.

Laura and Kate also discuss the evolving challenges facing the future of international development work

Laura's Bio

Laura is a Colombian alumni from Class 2021 of the University of York. Since graduating from university, Laura has had the opportunity to work across various teams, dimensions, and sectors in international development, including business development, project management, knowledge management, and strategy development, focused on the delivery of projects in sustainable value chain development, climate and gender finance, and financial inclusion.

Kate is joined today by Faz Kazmi. Faz graduated in Economics and Finance and now works as a Vertical Launch Grants Manager at the UK Space Agency.

Listen as Faz reveals what his day to day looks like. He also talks about the breadth of roles within this sector for graduates from all degree disciplines plus his tips on how to develop your skills and gain insights to help you break into the Space sector.

Faz's Bio: 

After graduating from York, I joined Meta's risk management and intelligence team, where I analysed social media trends. Recently, I moved to the UK Space Agency, where I manage government-funded grants to facilitate rocket launches from British soil.

Useful links:

UK Space Agency:

Kate chats to York graduate Cezara Jalba about her role as a Control, Electrical & Instrumentation Design Engineer at the Sellafield site, which is part of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. They discuss what her role entails, key skills, how Cezara's degree helped to prepare her for this role and what she loves about her job and the bits that she doesn't love quite so much.

Cezara's Bio

I am an engineer on a mission: to solve problems and make the world a better, safer and more efficient place. I specialize in driving innovative solutions for nuclear decommissioning and remediation projects in the civil nuclear industry. My expertise lies in delivering design packages that include control systems, robotics, and instrumentation; systems engineering; site asset management; and delivering digital transformation initiatives that redefine industry standards. Passionate about leveraging technology to put more people out of harm's way and deliver the mission of cleaning up the UK's old nuclear sites faster, safer, cheaper.

Links:

Listen as Kate chats to Molly Watson about her past life working as a BBC News Journalist and her recent career change. She currently works as a Media and Communications Officer focusing on the impact of food on climate change. In this conversation, they discuss the similarities and differences between journalism and a communications role, leaving your comfort zone to make a career change and also Molly's thoughts on what personal qualities are helpful for a career in journalism or communications.

Molly's Bio

James Halpin is a York graduate who is currently on the science and engineering stream of the Civil Service Fast Stream programme.

Listen as Kate gets to the bottom of what James's job looks like. They cover the variety of postings James has undertaken on the Science and Engineering Fast Stream, the transferable skills that have helped him in his role and the future challenges for the Civil Service.

James's Bio

I'm part of the UK Civil Service Fast Stream graduate programme and I'm on the Science & Engineering scheme. I'm currently working at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and my past postings include the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and a secondment at the Newton Venture Program.

I hold a first-class integrated Masters degree in Chemistry from The University of York and I spent my masters year at the University of Helsinki as a year abroad working in a research lab. After University I worked for the charity Shelter for a year before joining the Fast Stream.

Izi Hutchinson is Senior Account Director at VCCP, an international integrated communications agency. Listen as Kate gets to the bottom of what Izi's job looks like. They cover the breadth of roles within advertising, the highs and lows of account management, the importance of mindset and attitude and what the future of advertising could look like.

Izi's Bio

Izi's most recent piece of work was relaunching Lotto (The National Lottery flagship game). She has also worked on client accounts for Maynards Bassetts, Nationwide, British Red Cross, McLaren, Saga, Royal London, Macmillan, Avis (EMEA) and MoreThan.

Izi is deputy lead of the VCCP entry level scheme - The Table. The scheme is designed to find future leaders in the industry.

Izi is a graduate of the University of York where she studied History.

Ian is an Academic Clinical Fellow and junior doctor in Obstetrics & Gynaecology. After graduating in English during the 2008 credit crunch, he pursued Graduate Entry Medicine and an MSc in Global Health Science. He divides his time between clinical work and research into complications of pregnancy.

Harpal Sahota is a data scientist at MagicLab, who operate a number of dating apps, including Bumble & Lumen. He studied an MA in Computational Biology at the University of York, and went on to take a PhD in Computational Biology at University of London, before entering the job market, working for the likes of YouGov before settling at MagicLab, where he has worked since January 2020.

This is a re-released episode that was first published in May 2020

Alyson Webb is a Director at Frankly Green + Webb, an agency specialising in human-centred design to improve digital experiences in the cultural sector.

Listen as Kate gets to the bottom of what Alyson's job looks like. They cover working in the cultural sector, digital experiences, human-centred design thinking, consultancy and more!

Alyson's bio:

Alyson has worked in the cultural sector for 30 years. As a creative director and innovation programme leader, she has helped countless museums, galleries and historic sites share their extraordinary stories with diverse audiences around the globe.

Having designed the experience and content of the world’s first-ever multimedia guide, mobile phone guide and gallery podcast, Alyson has seen first-hand how this work can change how people think, behave and see the world. Collaborating with the expertise and profound knowledge within each organisation is one of her favourite parts of every project.

Her greatest reward comes in helping teams discover new creative opportunities, express what is unique and authentic to them, and understand their audience on a new level–ultimately so everyone feels that the knowledge and beauty held in these sites is theirs to take in.

Alyson is a National Heritage Lottery Fund digital mentor.

Kate Every works as a Service Design Practice Lead for global digital transformation company Mastek. Service design is a really interesting area of work that's getting more and more attention.

Find out what this job actually involves and how you can get a job in this exciting area!

Kate's bio: Kate is a Lead Service Designer specialising in inclusive and ethical design and delivery. She currently works in Service Design consultancy for global digital transformation company Mastek.
Her academic background is in Human Rights Practice, with Masters’ fieldwork and research into restorative justice and survivor-centred approaches to criminal justice. She brings this lens to her work as a human-centred designer in Government and healthcare.

Dan is a York graduate and works at National Grid where he completed a year in industry before becoming a Transmission Engineer.

Dan tells us what his day to day job looks like as well as what you need to know if you're thinking about a career in this area.

Dan's bio: I am a Transmission Engineer at National Grid working on design assurance of the protection and control system. I attended York for my Undergraduate where I was given the opportunity to do a year in industry - I am a huge advocate for these schemes which I feel perfectly blend academia and industry.
Outside of work I enjoy board games, card games and table top games

Elizabeth studied History of Art and thought she'd go into museum curation, until she discovered the amazing world of consultancy in the heritage sector! She helps museums, theatres and galleries solve problems... everything from how to boost visitor numbers to launching new learning programmes.

If you have always wanted to work in heritage and you're interested in what makes people tick, this could be the career for you.

Elizabeth's bio: I work with arts and cultural organisations helping them to understand more about the people who visit them and how to grow, engage and satisfy their audiences

Pretty much any student at York can do a placement year or year in industry! And right now second/middle year students can register for the programme. With that in mind, we thought it would make sense to speak to a York student just back from a year out in the world of work.

Toby studies History and spent his placement year working in recruitment for Reed. It sounded like a lot of fun. In this episode, he tells Kate what recruitment is like and why everyone, especially History students, should go for the placement year. Enjoy!

Cass is a freelance climate communications consultant in Belgium, working with NGOs, charities and ethical organisations to help them improve their communications and translate the good work they are doing into words the public and policymakers understand.

This is a fascinating conversation for anyone interested in: freelancing, working in comms and making a career in climate activism. Cass has some super interesting things to say about following your values, final year career stress and creating the job you want.

Cass graduated from York in 2019 with a degree in English Language and Linguistics. Long time listeners might remember that we spoke to Cass back in 2019 about her student internship.

Lots of people want to work in the rail industry and York graduate Laura has made it happen. She is Technical Head of System Safety at Network Rail, which means it's her job to make sure the railways are safe. Get an insight into what's going on in the sector and what this kind of work is actually like.

Laura's bio:

I gained a Masters of Engineering at the University of York before starting my career in the rail industry. Over the last fifteen years I have been part of the modernisation of the industry, varying from insourcing of circa 500 staff to the safe integration of new railway stations. In my personal life I am a mother to four children and a school foundation governor.

For grads interested in heritage, Rebecca Thompson might just have the dream job (she describes it as 'one of the best jobs in the world'): Senior Estate Manager at English Heritage, where she cares for over 400 buildings and monuments in England.

She has lots of info to help people wanting to get into the sector, including how to network, skills shortages and the impact of climate change.

Bio: After starting in commercial construction, Rebecca followed her interest in cultural heritage and studied a Masters in Archaeology of Buildings at York. She is now Senior Estate Manager at English Heritage. She has channelled her love of historic buildings into a career making sure they are relevant and sustainable for future generations. She cares about promoting equality and diversity in the heritage sector and ensuring our craft skills are utilised so they are not lost.

What does an investigative journalist actually do?? Sam Bright studied History at York while running a politics blog in his spare time. He's now the UK Deputy Editor at DeSmog and has written two books. Sam tells Kate what his day looks like and shares his tips for students interested in this kind of work.

Sam's bio:

Sam Bright is a journalist and author who has written two books: Fortress London and Bullingdon Club Britain. He has worked for the BBC and has been published by the New York Times, the New Statesman, the Big Issue, VICE, the Spectator, the Yorkshire Post and others.

We get a lot of questions about Speech and Language Therapy careers. It's a hugely rewarding area of work where you support and care for people of all ages who have difficulties with speech, language, communication, eating, drinking and swallowing.

York graduate Jess is a Speech and Language Therapist working with adults with learning disabilities. Find out about what she does each day and how she got there.

Want to work in the television industry? Tim Dean knows how to make it happen! He graduated from York with a degree in Social Policy and now has 20 years' experience in TV. Tim and Kate talk about how he got into the industry, why you don't need a media degree and what it's actually like producing TV every day.

Kate talks to York graduate Jack about training to be a barrister. Jack studied History and decided to train as a barrister after completing the Teach First Programme. Jack explains what skills you need, what he does each day and how you shouldn't be put off by thinking it isn't a career for you.

Something a bit different in this episode - Kate speaks to two Uni of York colleagues about imposter syndrome. What is it? Why does it happen? How can you deal with it? What support is out there for you?

In Careers we hear a lot of students mentioning impostor syndrome in relation to their studies and career planning. We also hear it from graduates - and it's come up on the podcast a lot! - so we thought it was time we addressed it head on. Feeling like a fraud and doubting your skills and talents is really common, but don't let it hold you back. In this episode Kate, Jo and Gemma give their top tips and personal experience about improving wellbeing. 

Jo Hardy is Student Wellbeing Programme Manager and Gemma Cormican is a Mental Health Practitioner in the Open Door team. 

Vinusha is a York History student who completed a placement year in the NHS Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group as a Quality and Safeguarding Support Officer. Vinusha explains what she got out of her placement and has tips for current students starting their placement or work experience search.

Want a job in research? Or interested in working in the media? This episode is for you. Today Kate talks to Lucy, York grad and current Journalism Researcher at BBC News, about what her job is actually like.

Ben graduated from York with a degree in Philosophy and after a few years found himself working in the financial services sector for Deloitte. It wasn't something he planned. In the episode Ben explains how his first impressions of the sector were wrong, how you don't need a 'big summer internship' to get into finance and how he's found a job that's a perfect fit for his strengths and skills. His job title is Associate Director - Global Mobility (Tax).

Ben's bio: I'm a Philosophy graduate who has quite accidentally ended up working in Financial Services. It's an industry I didn't expect to enjoy working in - I couldn't be happier to have been wrong about that. In my role, I help people making international moves (and their employers) understand the tax implications of doing so.

This episode is for anyone interested in international development or the humanitarian sector. Rob Simmons works in Somalia for Committed to Good and was speaking to Kate from a shipping container at the airport in Mogadishu. Rob tells us what you need to get into this kind of work, the best bits and the worst bits. He also shares his advice on how students can approach people working in the sector.

Did you know that each summer loads of York students do an internship through the Student Internship Bureau (SIB)? SIB advertises paid, project-based internships in and around York that are exclusively for York students.

The worst of the pandemic might (hopefully) be behind us but the world of work has permanently changed because of Covid-19.

Remote working is here to stay for many people and some sectors hit hard by the pandemic are still to properly recover. For our students, you may have had fewer chances to build up work experience. What does all this mean for your graduate job search?

In this episode we hear Kate and Enrico Reuter, lecturer in public and social policy, reflect on this and answer questions from York students. They also listen back to highlights from past podcast episodes.

Kadi is an environmental consultant who coordinates and project manages the environmental inputs for big infrastructure projects. She's also a York Environmental Science graduate. In this episode Kadi and Kate talk about what she does each day, the parts of the job she likes the most, and what York students interested in environmental consulting can do right now to prepare for their future careers.

Thanks for listening this autumn. Here's a preview of what's coming up in Spring Term. If you haven't already, follow us on your chosen podcast platform so you don't miss them. 

Management consultancy is always a popular job area with our students, but do you actually know what the job is like? Today Kate chats to Jo Auger about what she does all day, the skills she uses, and the best and worst bits.

Jo has been a Management Consultant since graduating in 2006.  She started her career on Capgemini's graduate scheme, moved to EY in 2015 and has been at Gate One since 2020.  In the past 15 years she has worked for a number of clients across multiple sectors and now balances a full time career in consulting with raising her two young sons.

Attention music students! In this episode Benji Merrison explains how he created a career for himself as a composer for film and television after graduating from York. He takes us through what his job is like day-to-day and how he got there. 

Benji Merrison is an award winning composer providing bespoke music for Film and Television. He has devoted his life to music.  He was recognised at a very young age as a prodigious talent, both as a performer and composer, and went on to obtain a BA (Hons) in Music and an MSc in Music Technology from the University of York.  He also studied Jazz Piano with Howard Riley at Goldsmiths University.

After his studies he settled in London to embark on his career as a full time composer in 2001.

To celebrate graduation week here in York we have a special episode covering the key things you need to know about graduating in 2021 in the middle of a global pandemic.

We cover how to start a new job from home, what to do if Covid stopped you from getting work experience, how to future-proof your career, and more!

We listen back to podcast highlights from our year of lockdown episodes and Kate chats to Dr Enrico Reuter, Lecturer in Public and Social Policy, about exactly what’s going on in the job market at the moment.

In the episode you heard clips from:

Alex graduated from York a couple of years ago. He studied Law and is now a trainee at Norton Rose Fulbright. He tells us about the reality of being a trainee, the best and worse bits, and what it’s like doing your training from home during a pandemic. He has some good tips for future trainees.

Alex is a trainee solicitor in the Project Finance Team of Norton Rose Fulbright's Banking Department. He works on transactions for the financing and construction of projects in the energy, infrastructure, and natural resources sectors in a range of jurisdictions.

Our guest today is Dan Rutstein, whose career history is proof that you definitely don’t have to pick one job and stick to it. Dan graduated from York and his career (so far) has included journalism, diplomacy, consultancy and podcasting. Kate and Dan talk about taking opportunities, transferable skills, the importance of networking and how to make a ‘portfolio career’ work.

Dan's first career was as a journalist, a news reporter at the York Evening Press before working in sport at the Bradford Telegraph & Argus and then Bermuda's Royal Gazette. He then joined the British Government, working in London for the transport and business departments before serving abroad as a diplomat in Germany and Los Angeles. He was President of immersive technology company Laduma before being laid off during the pandemic. He now works as a consultant with Orange County Soccer Club, helping them with their international expansion. He hosts three podcasts - United States of Dramerica, Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss and America the Beautiful Game.

When you’re looking for your first job after graduation it can sometimes feel like you’re picking a career for life, but that’s far from true. In this episode we chat to York grad Alice who started working in the heritage sector before switching to accounting.

Alice is a year 1 trainee chartered accountant at Godfrey Wilson Limited, a small, charity-specialist practice. Her day-to-day brings her into contact with a wide variety of clients in the charity sector and accountancy assignments. She is also undertaking the ACA, the qualification for ICAEW chartered accountants. Alice is a History graduate. Prior to this, she learned about the medieval world through the MA in Medieval Studies at the University of York, and worked as a partnerships and impact administrator at the Centre for the Study of Christianity & Culture.

We’re back for a new season! In this episode Kate talks to Paul Backhouse, Head of the Historic England Archive. They cover tech skills in the heritage sector, imposter syndrome, the pandemic and a lot more.

Paul is an archaeologist at heart, whose accidental career has spanned roles in graphics, publications, survey, archive, IT and telecoms. His projects include the complete 3D laser-scan survey of Stonehenge, the creation of an exhibition in Da Ming, China on the Archaeology of the Silk Road. The project he is most proud of, is his contribution to the excavation and identification of 400 First World War soldiers killed in the Battle of Fromelles in the Somme, France.