What Do You Actually Do?

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.

Transcript and useful links

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.

Transcript and links

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.

Transcript and useful links

This is a re-released episode which was first published in March 2021

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

Useful links and transcript

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.

Transcript and useful links.

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.

Transcript and useful links

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

Transcript and useful links.

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

Transcript and useful links on the blog.

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!

There is a full transcript and useful links on our blog.

Toby's bio:

Originally from Nottingham, I came to York to study History. I found myself unsure of what to do with my future, and figured why not apply for a placement. So I've spent the last 12 months in London, working in Recruitment, and I'm now excited to come back to university to complete my final year. While I've loved London, I've missed the greenery of the north and I'm excited to be able to go on long walks in the countryside again! London's too much of a concrete jungle for my liking!

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.

Transcript and useful links on our blog.