Bangor University Crest
Careers Café
Bangor University runs a Careers Café for students taking part in the Bio Enterprise and Employability Module of their third year. The café consists of short talks given by guest speakers, followed by an open floor question and answer session and a more informal question session in which students can approach speakers personally.
The four speakers present were all Bangor University Graduates from varying fields;
- Bethan Wynne Jones, graduated 2014 and now works for the National Trust,
- Dawn Thomas, 2010 graduate, is a Living Seas Awareness Officer for the North Wales Wildlife Trust,
- Graham French graduated in 2000 and is currently the Director of PGCE Secondary at Bangor University,
- Jon Cannon who graduated in 1988 is the Process Science Manager at Dwr Cymru.
Overview
Hearing the experiences of previous Bangor graduates and the paths their careers took to get them to where they are today was greatly beneficial. Knowing that ex-students, who had previously studied the same degree as myself, had successfully attained jobs within the scientific field was reassuring and allowed for a high level of relatability when it came to listening to the talks.
Graham French: “I think I have the best job in the world”
All four speakers were of varying ages and worked in a range of biological fields. This variety of career options available after obtaining a BSc provided myself and my fellow students with a deeper insight into the opportunities that await us after leaving university.
For some students this variety came as a surprise. Jon Cannons’ talk about working for Dwr Cymru (Welsh Water), surprised many as they had not previously considered that companies such as this would have a high demand for science graduates. Jon mentioned in his talk that Dwr Cymru run a graduate programme on a yearly basis, hiring new graduates.
The open floor style question and answer section was not as successful as it could have been. Limited student participation in asking questions to the guests made it brief, however, this allowed a longer period for the more informal question session. During this time we could move around the room and ask our questions face-to-face.
The informal question segment of the café was greatly beneficial. Being provided with an opportunity to ask my own personal questions regarding my individual future career path made it a highly constructive part of the module.
The majority of the speakers had brought promotional material for their areas of work, and gave strong, honest advice when it came to answering student queries.
Throughout the careers cafe, all of the speakers stressed the importance of volunteering and work experience (for a work experience example read my blog on Working with the Atlantic Whale Foundation). When it comes to standing out in the vast sea of graduates, previous experience and networking is key.
Bethan, spoke of how her first job after graduating was with CELW Ltd., the company of one of her lecturers and the current head of the School of Biological Sciences for the university.
Personal Thoughts
The careers café showed that there are vast opportunities available to graduates. The module was effective in portraying the importance of getting the most out of a degree, not only in an academic sense but when it comes to networking and getting your name out into your chosen field.
I was able to gain a greater insight into the benefits of obtaining a PGCE (Post-graduate certificate in education) and how it can be used to achieve my future career goals. Talking to Graham I was able to identify the best PGCE course for me and have since applied for a place on the secondary education course with Bangor university – commencing September 2017.
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