Vicky Jordan

Vicky was awarded a first class degree in Classical Literature and Civilisation and is now a trainee solicitor.

How has your career developed since your time at Birmingham?

I am at the beginning of a career in law; about to start my training contract as a trainee solicitor with a National Law firm; having converted to law by completing the Graduate Diploma in law. I had considered a legal career from a young age; however, Classics was a subject that had always fascinated me. I chose to do Classics because it was what I wanted to study; not because I thought it had a clear career path at the end of it. And I loved the course and my time at the University of Birmingham.”

How did your degree help you to develop important skills?

“The course provided such a rich variety of content; covering many different areas such as philosophy, literature, drama, history, and architecture all within the captivating cultures of Ancient Greece and Rome. Not only was the content diverse; but so were the teaching styles and methods of assessment. The course’s range in assessment type helped me build many skills which I was able to transfer to my study of law and to securing my Training Contract in a very competitive industry. The recruitment process in the legal profession is very competency focused, and my time with the Classics department gave me good examples of how to show I had developed competency skills; such as team working, presentation skills, independent thinking and critical analysis.

How did studying at the University help prepare you for your career?

“It turned out that even though choosing the Classics degree was not completely career focused, it prepared me well for a career in law. I was told by one partner in a law firm, that there was a shift towards recruiting trainee solicitors who had done degrees other than law and then converted as this gave them a wider skill set.

“In choosing a classics degree at the University of Birmingham, I have had three years studying a subject I loved and of which I have great memories (a particular highlight being the study tour in the second year). But I also got a degree that gave me solid foundations in the essential transferable skills; that enabled me to secure a lucrative training contract with a leading law firm.”