Careers Talk – CPS Talk 21/10/14

 

– Article by Stephen Leach

 

 

The CPS invited some professionals of industry to describe their experiences and the progress of their career. Pre-talk I spoke to a year 3 CPS member for whom this was the first CPS event they had ever attended. The reason was the simmering urgency found in the autumnal years of formal education, when the big bad world is looming over the horizon. A common question in my year group at the moment is: “What do you want to do when you leave University”. My retort; is sadly predictable. Ergo I need some careers advice!

If you are like me, long term planning is firmly entrenched in the back of the mind. Occasionally it surfaces with its frightening and profound implications only to be beaten back by more pressing and transient short term counterparts. Here follows a very short account of how the CPS guests persuaded its audience to entice into the forefront of their minds the idea that we possess complete control over our future careers.

In short, I wasn’t convinced that there is a paint by numbers method of securing the ‘perfect career’. All the speakers agreed that everyone is an individual, which accounts for our differences in what drives and motivates us. The RSC asked us “What does success look like for you?” Told us “don’t leave it to chance.” The career that forms most quickly may not be the most stable one. The speakers from GSK and Johnson Matthey represented those who had got their heads down in school and followed the research stream from university into the applied sciences of industry. They made it sound very straight forward and hopefully fuelled some fires in the crowd. The final speaker had a different take on things. The resounding idea in his talk is that we don’t have much control, that a whole ensemble of forces may disrupt our ‘plans’ and that the best thing we can do is to be prepared for change.

I came away wondering if I’m agile enough, flexible enough. Do I have the transferrable skills? Can I convince employers that I’m a safe bet? If you are wondering the same things then get in touch with UCL careers and they’ll tell you how to ace an interview and be the best you can be. Otherwise just try and do something you really love?

Here are some inspirational quotes from BBC’s ‘The Apprentice’.

“If we went to Mars right now, I’d find a way to be excellent”

“My positive approach and very good looks make me stand out from the crowd.”

“There are two types of people in the world: Winners and… I don’t know how to say the word, I can’t say it.”

“I’m a ‘Great’ of my generation. I’m an innovator and leader in business. I take inspiration from Napoleon.”