My interpretation of "you should get a life" (especially at university) is that you should strive to attain a balanced life which allows you to do all the different things you love to do. Career - the daunting word thrown around every once in two days by students, parents, and tutors has succeeded in overshadowing the purpose of pursuing one entirely.
There’s two ways to go from here: first is having a brief idea of what field/sector you see yourself working in; second (and this is obviously more exciting), is trying out everything until you get an answer for the first question. And if you’re someone stuck in the middle of these two situations, that is also completely fine!
Here are some simple ways to get started on building your experience as a student at the University of Birmingham:
- Sign up to be a Student Rep (short for representative) - Student Reps are the bridging gap between students and academics as they communicate and feedback between these groups on topics like academics, accessibility, timetables, etc.
- Apply to become a Student Ambassador - Student Ambassadors (like me) get to interact with prospective students interested in doing the same or a similar degree to yours. This role involves representing your course on Open Days and Offer Holder Days, and contributing your experiences online through blogs and social media videos.
- Make sure you check Worklink - University's official job portal actively posts part-time job opportunities that can prove to be a good starting point to gain experience across fields like administration, events logistics, academic support, etc. They also host Career Fairs for various departments on campus.
- Use the Careers Network - The Careers Network run a special scheme called the B-Experienced Scheme. This is specifically structured targeted at giving an unbiased platform for students with some to no experience to apply for internships. They also offer CV advice, application support, interview help etc.
- Take the Professional Skills Development Module - The PSM is an interactive module that students can opt to take either in their second/final year in place of a traditional academic module.
The PSM allows students to take part in an internship that they could apply for from a given bank of placements provided by the college or an internship that they land by themselves externally, as a means of promoting hands-on method of learning.
Across the 70 hours of work experience, students learn and record the responsibilities of their role and new skills learnt as part of their assessment.
This module has been a launchpad for opportunities for me personally, as I landed the role of Digital Content and Marketing Assistant for the Birmingham Literature Festival. I was also offered to extend my internship externally for another three months after I finished my 70 hours with the host organisation, Writing West Midlands.
Outside of these, a fun way to gain work experience is joining a society (or even running your own!). Besides these, the Guild of Students also advertise vacancies on a yearly basis.
While it may all seem a little overwhelming, the university does offer great platforms for students to begin their careers.
