Course
English Studies/Communication and Entrepreneurship
Year of graduation
2010/2011
Job title
Web Projects Assistant
Employer
The University of Nottingham
Profile
When I started applying to universities I had no idea what kind of career I wanted, so I decided to pursue a subject that I loved and see where it took me! During my degree I studied a variety of literature – everything from Beowulf to Virginia Woolf – explored linguistic approaches and even directed a play.
I thoroughly enjoyed the course and while not every module suited me, the variety really helped me to discover more about my own interests and strengths. In fact, after graduating I pursued my interest in linguistics by doing a masters degree in Communication and Entrepreneurship.
I was surprised to find a course that combined linguistics and business studies, as the subjects seemed so dissimilar – but I soon found that my knowledge of linguistics was indispensible for evaluating advertisements and business communications.
After graduating with my masters, I undertook a University-run work experience placement at a local business, where I worked in a marketing and communications role. The language skills I gained from my degree in English Studies were put to good use as the placement involved a lot of copywriting. I was also taught to use a content management system, which helped me to get my current role as Web Projects Assistant.
My advice is to grab the opportunities The University gives you while you can. Do a work placement, volunteer at a charity, study abroad, present a show on URN, write for Impact – these are all opportunities to find out what interests you and to prove that you can transfer skills from your degree to real-life situations.