What Do You Actually Do?

When you’re looking for your first job after graduation it can sometimes feel like you’re picking a career for life, but that’s far from true. In this episode we chat to York grad Alice who started working in the heritage sector before switching to accounting.

Alice is a year 1 trainee chartered accountant at Godfrey Wilson Limited, a small, charity-specialist practice. Her day-to-day brings her into contact with a wide variety of clients in the charity sector and accountancy assignments. She is also undertaking the ACA, the qualification for ICAEW chartered accountants. Alice is a History graduate. Prior to this, she learned about the medieval world through the MA in Medieval Studies at the University of York, and worked as a partnerships and impact administrator at the Centre for the Study of Christianity & Culture.

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

We’re back for a new season! In this episode Kate talks to Paul Backhouse, Head of the Historic England Archive. They cover tech skills in the heritage sector, imposter syndrome, the pandemic and a lot more.

Paul is an archaeologist at heart, whose accidental career has spanned roles in graphics, publications, survey, archive, IT and telecoms. His projects include the complete 3D laser-scan survey of Stonehenge, the creation of an exhibition in Da Ming, China on the Archaeology of the Silk Road. The project he is most proud of, is his contribution to the excavation and identification of 400 First World War soldiers killed in the Battle of Fromelles in the Somme, France.

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

After graduating from York in 2011, Alison started her working life in account management before taking a short career break to figure out what she actually wanted to do. She now works for the Co-op's start up Health business in Manchester as a Technology Delivery Manager but has done a variety of roles in 5 years with Co-op. She is also a Big Sister for the Girls Out Loud mentoring programme.

Alison and Kate talk about changing careers shortly after graduation and the skills you need to work in agile project management.

Find a full transcript and the links mentioned in this episode on our blog.

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.

Find a full transcript and the links mentioned in this episode on our blog.

Luke is President at Momentum Worldwide, the most awarded global experiential agency in the world. With offices in over 30 countries the agency works for clients such as Samsung, Verizon, American Express, Microsoft, Coca Cola and Nike. He is a Harvard Business School alumni and has previously worked across numerous global marketing networks as well as client side for Richard Branson leading the launch of the Formula One team at Virgin. Outside of work he juggles 5 kids and tries desperately to find time to keep fit.

This episode is essential listening not just for students interested in breaking into the advertising industry, but for anyone wanting to work in a position of leadership. Luke tells Kate about his career journey, what he does every day, and what he looks for when recruiting new graduates.

Find a full transcript and the links mentioned in this episode on our blog.

John is a clinical scientist at Congenica, a digital health company specialising in genomic medicine. Before that he worked in the genomics service in the NHS and completed the NHS Scientist Training Programme. He graduated from York in 2012. In this episode, John and Kate talk about the opportunities in clinical sciences, his tips for current students, and how the pandemic has changed his working day.

Find a full transcript and the links mentioned in this episode on our blog.

Christina works for the family history company Ancestry, where she researches client families in the U.S, Canada, U.K, Ireland and the Caribbean. She gained a PhD in History from the University of Southern California in 2018, and before that an MA in Modern History from the University of York. Her research focused on the relationship between capitalism, education and fundamentalist Christianity in 20th century Los Angeles.

Find a full transcript and the links mentioned in the episode on our blog.

Alex is the Innovation Manager at Norton Rose Fulbright’s Newcastle Hub, where he works at the forefront of technological innovation in the legal sector.  He graduated with a PhD in Philosophy, with overlapping interests in linguistics, cognitive science and economics. In this episode, Alex and Kate talk about what exactly he does each day, how he got the job and how his PhD helped him.

Find the links mentioned in this episode on our blog.

Tom has worked at the Environment Agency for the last 10 years, in a range of roles from planning to environmental regulation, flood risk, and biodiversity. He is currently managing the largest river restoration project in the North, creating new habitat and re-naturalising the River Derwent, one of the most important lowland rivers in Europe.

Find the links mentioned in this episode and a full transcript on our blog.

Vivien graduated from York with a degree in English and Education, and spent three years working in the TV industry at institutions like the BBC before deciding she wanted a career change. Four years later, she now works in the business technology industry, managing complex systems implementations for companies in the retail, manufacturing and service sectors to enable them to refine and better their business processes.

Find the links mentioned in this episode and a full transcript on our blog.