If you use your time wisely, the sophomore year offers a great opportunity to find work experience placements and consider the future.
Having a basic career plan in mind often helps when seeking out placements. Kirsty Macklen, 20, is confident that she wants to carry on working in her given field when she finishes her BA in Ancient History and Archaeology.
Realising early on that she needed hands on experience in order to improve her CV, she found an ideal placement by a stroke of good fortune:
‘It was purely coincidental. I met someone at a summer fair who worked in archaeological publications. I mentioned what I studied and he said they were looking for students to volunteer on their excavations.’
Kirsty spent the summer of 2006 working on Roman sites at an archaeological dig in Norfolk and returned the following year.
Obviously, securing a work experience placement is not always a case of being in the right place at the right time; more often than not the process is similar to applying for a real job.
While studying for a BA in Drama, Gemma Wallace, 24, completed five separate work placements - an example of hard work and determination.
Rise to the challenge
Much like the job application process, positive outcomes aren’t always guaranteed. Sometimes employers simply don’t need or want an extra pair of hands.
As part of her degree course, Gemma was required to find work placements with local theatre groups where she would perform workshops with children. Finding these placements proved quite a challenge.
‘I tried to contact numerous theatre groups, but nobody got back in touch with me. I approached my university careers service, with no luck. In the end, I turned to my tutors, who, knowing people within the theatre, were able to point me in the right direction.’
Gemma’s experience and that of many others, shows that it’s important to put in time when looking for positions. They are not, by any means, destined to fall into your lap.
Plan ahead
It’s often easy to believe that the second year of your degree is a time to relax. You’ve settled into your surroundings, are comfortable with the university life, and the all important dissertation is still 12 months away.
However, this really is the time to start thinking about what to do when your studying comes to an end.
Work experience can play a huge role in helping to determine what to do with the rest of your life. Second year students are in a privileged position, able to explore different avenues of work before the stress and pressure of the third year kicks in.
Very often, the key to success is to keep your eyes open, your wits about you and to pursue potential placements with dogged determination. Think of the search for work experience as the practice run for finding your dream job.
