Prospects Postgrad 1

ADVICE AND GUIDANCE Postgrad 5 A postgraduate course could increase your earning potential and lead you to the job of your dreams. ACT OF GOD It took an act of God to ‘When I went into the Masters I thought that what I wanted to do was produce hard-hitting documentaries, but I learned that in off editing a lot of other people’s work, whereas in local radio your ideas can be on the radio the next day. You are also in touch with people so much more because you’re answering phone calls and talking about issues that matter to people around you. It’s great to be able to do something that’s entertaining and educational and does bring people together.’ Rebecca is in no doubt that the reason she has been able to get her dream job is because of the course. ‘I don’t think I would have even got to the interviews if I had not gone give you a much greater set of skills, it helps you to understand what you have to offer and what you can do. I’m an older student and because I’m a mum and a wife it worked out really well that the course was two days a week. It also had a lot of real-world application and it put me in touch with lots of people within the industry – from scriptwriters, to independent production houses to managing editors. In fact, that’s how I met the managing editor I work for now.’ Elouise is also in no doubt that her course has opened some intriguing doors. She’s now helping to coach managers and leaders, but she does have a word of warning for others who are looking to postgraduate study as a way to their dream career. ‘I’d say go into it with a clear idea of exactly how you want to use your time. Obviously, I think there’s a lot of value in postgraduate research because the course sounds quite interesting and you think about the cost and hard work involved, you need to know you’re going to get value out of it. make Rebecca Feduchin-Pate realise that she needed to do something severe to move her career in a commercial music radio in the US and I was in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck. As result I was displaced from my home and found myself working my way up the ladder in a different commercial music station, but I knew that I really wanted to get into talk radio. I was looking online one night and I came across the Bournemouth University radio station. I listened to the station and realised that this was exactly the sort of radio that I wanted to be able to produce, so I tracked down the course responsible for it and applied!’ A few years and several thousand miles later and Rebecca is now employed as a broadcast assistant for BBC Radio Solent. ‘It’s one of the largest local radio stations in the UK and it’s great,’ she says. different direction. ‘I was working in the beginning you’re going to start through this course. Not only does it but when you get involved just IS POSTGRADUATE STUDY FOR YOU? ‘The first thing to ask yourself is why you want to enter the world of postgraduate study. Good reasons to pursue a course include a thirst for knowledge, gaining a qualification to enable you to change or pursue a different career path and the need to improve your skills in a particular field,’ says Josie Grindulus, Career Consultant at the University of Cardiff. ‘You should not pursue a course simply because you don’t know what to do, however, or because you are encouraged by staff or by the desire to stay with friends. There are many constraints placed on postgraduate students, including financial, so you will need to give it some careful consideration.’ If chosen carefully, a postgraduate degree can enhance your career prospects, as Lucy Tarrant, Recruitment Manager at Barclays explains: ‘Some students are lucky enough to finish their undergraduate degree with all the right things – languages, internship, voluntary work, travel and commercial exposure, combined with a first class degree from a top class university. If you aren’t one of those, a postgraduate qualification can help,’ says Lucy. ‘The only thing you need to worry about is becoming too academic. It is important to balance a postgraduate degree with some practical experience, like internships or voluntary work. Companies have to hire students on their potential, rather than their proven success – the more you can exhibit that you have taken your own initiative to put your learning into practise the better. I want an applicant to demonstrate their passion/ambition/need to undertake a further qualification, understand what that means for my business and how they are going to enhance what we do.’ For more information on postgraduate study; how to choose a course and where to find funding, pick up a free copy of the Prospects University Guide from your local careers service. http://www.prospects.ac.uk/links/careersservices

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Prospects Postgrad 1

Prospects Postgrad Autumn 2008 Contents: What’s Inside For Love and Money Cash for Qualifications A Tale of Two Students Meet the Postgrad People All Aboard The Postgraduate Environment Maths Market The Postgrad Programme Teacher Training Arts and Humanities Science and Engineering Business and Management Social Sciences

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