What Do You Actually Do?

In this episode Kate talks to Dan, a York graduate working as a prison officer on the Unlocked grad scheme. Find related links and a transcript of this episode on our blog.

Dan's bio:

Dan is a 2019 graduate from the University of York and currently a band three prison officer in a category B local remand men’s prison.

He was placed and supported by Unlocked Graduates, a graduate leadership development programme that 'recruits outstanding graduates and career changers to become exceptional prison officers.' It offers a fully funded and tailored MSc to graduates on the programme.

Dan works with some of the most vulnerable people in society with the aim of reducing recidivism rates and creating long lasting change in our criminal justice system.

Thanks for listening this autumn. Here's a preview of what's coming up in Spring Term. If you haven't already, follow us on your chosen podcast platform so you don't miss them. 

In the meantime, enjoy your vacation. If you're planning to do some career research or job hunting during the break, don't forget that the podcast is one of many resources you can access as a University of York Student. Visit our webpages to get started: york.ac.uk/careers.

Sound effects used in this episode:

jinglebellslong.wav by NoiseCollector is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Scratch speed.wav by Racche is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Sleigh bells sound effect by Gowler Music is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Management consultancy is always a popular job area with our students, but do you actually know what the job is like? Today Kate chats to Jo Auger about what she does all day, the skills she uses, and the best and worst bits.

Jo has been a Management Consultant since graduating in 2006.  She started her career on Capgemini's graduate scheme, moved to EY in 2015 and has been at Gate One since 2020.  In the past 15 years she has worked for a number of clients across multiple sectors and now balances a full time career in consulting with raising her two young sons.

Find useful links and a full transcript of the episode on our blog. 

Attention music students! In this episode Benji Merrison explains how he created a career for himself as a composer for film and television after graduating from York. He takes us through what his job is like day-to-day and how he got there. 

Benji Merrison is an award winning composer providing bespoke music for Film and Television. He has devoted his life to music.  He was recognised at a very young age as a prodigious talent, both as a performer and composer, and went on to obtain a BA (Hons) in Music and an MSc in Music Technology from the University of York.  He also studied Jazz Piano with Howard Riley at Goldsmiths University.

After his studies he settled in London to embark on his career as a full time composer in 2001.

Find a full transcript and some useful links on our blog.

The Aldi grad scheme has a reputation for being challenging, giving its grads a lot of responsibility and having great benefits. After 15 weeks on the scheme you'll be put in charge of a store and after a year you'll be an Area Manager. In this episode Heather Wilkinson tells us about how she got on the scheme and what it's actually like.

Heather spent five years as an Area Manager with Aldi after going through the Aldi Graduate Area Manager Programme. In that time she managed five stores and was responsible for around 150 employees. She graduated with a degree in History and recently started a new role as Operations Manager at Amazon.

Find useful links and a full transcript of this episode on our blog.

The Civil Service Fast Stream is one of the most popular grad schemes in the country and the Times Top 100 number 1 graduate employer. In this episode, Kate talks to Will Simpson, a current Fast Streamer, about what he actually does all day, the best and worst bits, and his advice for students applying to the scheme.

Will graduated from York in 2020 with a BA in Politics and is currently on the Civil Service Fast Stream in the HR scheme. He’s based in the Department for Work and Pensions.

Check out some useful links related to this episode and a full transcript on our blog.

To celebrate graduation week here in York we have a special episode covering the key things you need to know about graduating in 2021 in the middle of a global pandemic.

We cover how to start a new job from home, what to do if Covid stopped you from getting work experience, how to future-proof your career, and more!

We listen back to podcast highlights from our year of lockdown episodes and Kate chats to Dr Enrico Reuter, Lecturer in Public and Social Policy, about exactly what’s going on in the job market at the moment.

In the episode you heard clips from:

Daniel Arda

Paul Backhouse

Vivien Chung

Christina Copland

Alison Critchley

Phil Daneshyar

Luke D’Arcy

Andrew Gloag

Tasha McNaught

Tom Pagett

Dan Rutstein

Harpal Sahota

Alex Stewart-Moreno

Alice Yevko

Find a transcript and useful links on our blog.

Thanks for listening this term. We'll be back later in the summer with a special graduation episode for those of you leaving York this year. In the meantime, follow us/subscribe on your chosen podcast platform so you don't miss it. You can listen back to the rest of our episodes and find more resources to help your career planning on the Careers and Placements website including our support for students finishing their studies this year.

Alex graduated from York a couple of years ago. He studied Law and is now a trainee at Norton Rose Fulbright. He tells us about the reality of being a trainee, the best and worse bits, and what it’s like doing your training from home during a pandemic. He has some good tips for future trainees.

Alex is a trainee solicitor in the Project Finance Team of Norton Rose Fulbright's Banking Department. He works on transactions for the financing and construction of projects in the energy, infrastructure, and natural resources sectors in a range of jurisdictions.

Want to find out more? Find useful links and a full transcript on our blog.

Our guest today is Dan Rutstein, whose career history is proof that you definitely don’t have to pick one job and stick to it. Dan graduated from York and his career (so far) has included journalism, diplomacy, consultancy and podcasting. Kate and Dan talk about taking opportunities, transferable skills, the importance of networking and how to make a ‘portfolio career’ work.

Dan's first career was as a journalist, a news reporter at the York Evening Press before working in sport at the Bradford Telegraph & Argus and then Bermuda's Royal Gazette. He then joined the British Government, working in London for the transport and business departments before serving abroad as a diplomat in Germany and Los Angeles. He was President of immersive technology company Laduma before being laid off during the pandemic. He now works as a consultant with Orange County Soccer Club, helping them with their international expansion. He hosts three podcasts - United States of Dramerica, Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss and America the Beautiful Game.

Want to find out more? Find useful links and a full transcript on our blog.