Joshua Hitchman

Brief description of career path since graduation

Geo-Enviromental Consultant:

My previous role involved work within land and property markets to provide clients with desk studies, site investigation design, and land contamination risk assessments.

MSc - Sustainability & Management University of Bath

TFL Sustainability Graduate:

I am actively working to progress sustainability goals in every part of the organisation.

Why did you choose to study Geography at Birmingham?

I chose to study Geology as it balanced my enjoyment of the outdoor environment and academic learning.

I saw geology as an opportunity to further my interest in the environment and gain a holistic understanding of how the past still affects the present and future.

What skills/knowledge did you develop at Birmingham the helped you to follow your career path?

My geography course introduced me to a wide variety of topics which was beneficial for me because I had many different interests as a result. This meant that I was able to apply for a large number of different jobs that I was interested in which increased my chance of getting a graduate job.

Through the flexibility of being able to choose which modules I studied, I was then able to explore the topics that I was the most interested in having a career in in more depth. For me this was air quality.

What advice would you give to current students studying on your degree programme?

I have developed various technical skills at the University of Birmingham, such as programming and geological logging, and enhanced several soft skills, such as problem-solving and communication.

Use your dissertation as means to be as creative as possible and explore ideas that require further investigation.