Carl Stevenson

Carl Stevenson graduated with a degree in History in 2012. He is now a Relationship Support Manager at Barclays Corporate Bank. 

What was the best thing about your degree?Carl Stevenson
"The most positive aspects of my degree were learning how to work independently. There are no textbooks to revise the answers from when under-taking a degree and nobody will make you do anything! Independent learning is a process you have to learn but when you do it’s so worthwhile."

How did studying at the University help prepare you for your career?
"Studying here helped me in my career in many ways. I did an internship immediately after graduating at Unilever HQ in London. I then took a gap year - mainly working as Chalet Host in France and Switzerland but also travelling to South East Asia, Europe and America. Studying at University of Birmingham really helped to shape my CV to show what employers want."

What advice would you give current students?
"A piece of advice for new students is don't let anyone tell you that your History degree won’t help you get a job. They're wrong! Those doing degrees that think employers will be impressed with solely their degree subject are wrong. All that business theory goes out the window as soon as you get to work. It's completely different. Make sure you get a 2.1, get as much work experience as you can, do as much extra-curricular activities as you can. This is what impresses employers - showing your work ethic and people skills!"