What Do You Actually Do?

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.

Lots of people want to work in the rail industry and York graduate Laura has made it happen. She is Technical Head of System Safety at Network Rail, which means it's her job to make sure the railways are safe. Get an insight into what's going on in the sector and what this kind of work is actually like.

Laura's bio:

I gained a Masters of Engineering at the University of York before starting my career in the rail industry. Over the last fifteen years I have been part of the modernisation of the industry, varying from insourcing of circa 500 staff to the safe integration of new railway stations. In my personal life I am a mother to four children and a school foundation governor.

Transcript and useful links on our blog.

For grads interested in heritage, Rebecca Thompson might just have the dream job (she describes it as 'one of the best jobs in the world'): Senior Estate Manager at English Heritage, where she cares for over 400 buildings and monuments in England.

She has lots of info to help people wanting to get into the sector, including how to network, skills shortages and the impact of climate change.

Bio: After starting in commercial construction, Rebecca followed her interest in cultural heritage and studied a Masters in Archaeology of Buildings at York. She is now Senior Estate Manager at English Heritage. She has channelled her love of historic buildings into a career making sure they are relevant and sustainable for future generations. She cares about promoting equality and diversity in the heritage sector and ensuring our craft skills are utilised so they are not lost.

Transcript and useful links on our blog.

What does an investigative journalist actually do?? Sam Bright studied History at York while running a politics blog in his spare time. He's now the UK Deputy Editor at DeSmog and has written two books. Sam tells Kate what his day looks like and shares his tips for students interested in this kind of work.

Sam's bio:

Sam Bright is a journalist and author who has written two books: Fortress London and Bullingdon Club Britain. He has worked for the BBC and has been published by the New York Times, the New Statesman, the Big Issue, VICE, the Spectator, the Yorkshire Post and others.

Transcript and useful links on our blog.

We get a lot of questions about Speech and Language Therapy careers. It's a hugely rewarding area of work where you support and care for people of all ages who have difficulties with speech, language, communication, eating, drinking and swallowing.

York graduate Jess is a Speech and Language Therapist working with adults with learning disabilities. Find out about what she does each day and how she got there.

As always, full transcript and useful links can be found on our blog.

Jess's bio:

Jess graduated as a Speech and Language Therapist in 2019 and now works as an NHS Specialist Speech and Language Therapist in an Intensive Support Team for adults with learning disabilities. Jess is also a Speech and Language Therapist for the Down Syndrome Training and Support Service.

Want to work in the television industry? Tim Dean knows how to make it happen! He graduated from York with a degree in Social Policy and now has 20 years' experience in TV. Tim and Kate talk about how he got into the industry, why you don't need a media degree and what it's actually like producing TV every day.

Transcript and useful links on the blog.

Tim's bio:

BAFTA and RTS award winning Executive Producer with over 20 years’ experience in TV. I've run a whole array of different shows from juggernaut brands like ‘Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway’ and ‘Take Me Out’ through to chat shows such as 'Lateish with Mo Gilligan' and 'The Big Narstie Show' and created brand new formats from scratch like ‘In For A Penny'. I've worked with a range of talent from Simon Cowell and Harry Styles through to David Walliams and Kelly Rowland and love making noisy blockbuster TV filled with edge of your seat excitement and drama.

Kate talks to York graduate Jack about training to be a barrister. Jack studied History and decided to train as a barrister after completing the Teach First Programme. Jack explains what skills you need, what he does each day and how you shouldn't be put off by thinking it isn't a career for you.

Full transcript and useful links on the blog.

Jack's bio:

Hi, I'm Jack, a graduate of the University of York and aspiring barrister. I graduated with a BA in History in 2015 and decided to pursue a career at the Bar in 2019, after completing the Teach First Programme. My route into the legal profession has (so far) involved two years of study (GDL and Bar Course), a year working for a judge at the Court of Appeal and a few months working at a litigation firm in Toronto. I will begin my pupillage (which is essentially a year-long apprenticeship) in Autumn 2023.

Something a bit different in this episode - Kate speaks to two Uni of York colleagues about imposter syndrome. What is it? Why does it happen? How can you deal with it? What support is out there for you?

In Careers we hear a lot of students mentioning impostor syndrome in relation to their studies and career planning. We also hear it from graduates - and it's come up on the podcast a lot! - so we thought it was time we addressed it head on. Feeling like a fraud and doubting your skills and talents is really common, but don't let it hold you back. In this episode Kate, Jo and Gemma give their top tips and personal experience about improving wellbeing. 

Jo Hardy is Student Wellbeing Programme Manager and Gemma Cormican is a Mental Health Practitioner in the Open Door team. 

There's a transcript on our blog.

Need some help with this? Check the Student Wellbeing pages or come speak to us in Careers if it's affecting your career planning. 

Bethany is a York graduate and director of Experience Heritage, where she uses her expertise in archaeology and interest in digital storytelling to bring history to live in innovative ways. That could mean augmented reality experiences, interactive heritage apps and digital animation.

Bethany tells us how she started her own company after realising there was a gap in the market where she could combine her interests in archaeology and storytelling. 

There's a full transcript and useful links on our blog. 

Bethany's bio: Bethany is a digital archaeologist and entrepreneur. She has studied film, archaeology and digital heritage and began Experience Heritage in 2018 after receiving her Masters with distinction from University of York. She's passionate about bringing history to life and making heritage more accessible for more people.

Interested in startups or working for yourself? That's what this episode is all about. Toby Cannon graduated from York in 2019 with a degree in Computer Science. He now runs Myles, a startup that began as an app allowing people to complete virtual challenges by tracking their fitness activity. He explains what his day looks like, what it takes to work in a startup and what students can do to follow in his footsteps.

There's a full transcript and useful links on our blog.

Toby's bio:

After graduating in 2019 Toby joined Capital One as a Software Development Engineer, working on a range of products which are used by millions of people. At the start of the pandemic, he launched Myles initially as a tool to keep himself and his family motivated with their fitness goals. The company has grown since then and he's now full time on the business and is part of a team of four, with clients including Dell, Brewin Dolphin and Capital One.