To celebrate National Careers Week, we asked our alumni volunteering community to share insights into their careers to show current students that it’s ok if you don’t know what you want to do, and it’s ok if your plan changes along the way.
Only 16% of respondents to our recent careers insights survey said they were in currently in the career they wanted to be in when they were at school. We had over 50 volunteers share their journey, here’s just a snippet of some of the stories and advice shared:
Ashley
Wanted to be a: doctor
Is now: working in consumer insights in the toy industry
“As an impressionable young man, I wanted to be exactly what my parents wished: a doctor. When I was at school, we didn’t know much about careers beyond the ‘traditional’ paths of doctor, lawyer, scientist, etc so it seemed an easy decision to make. Coming from an ethnic minority background, my career choice (at the time) was a very high ambition! Plus, I didn’t want to let my parents down.
I now work for one of the world’s largest toy companies, in Consumer Insights. My job involves understanding children and adults all over the world, what their interests and passions are, and then translating this into strategic actions for our business to continue delivering a great play promise. I can be looking at data and crafting analysis one day, and then listening in on consumer focus groups the next, and taking part in projects that are more personal to me such as developing diversity and inclusion strategies for our organisation and products. I’m fortunate to be able to travel with my job too, and I love it. I can see myself here for several years, which is rare in this day and age!
Ashley’s advice: It is okay to not know exactly what path you want to follow when you’re still in full-time education. We are fortunate to be in a world now where there are an almost endless set of choices you can make – the one piece of advice I would offer though is to be curious and research any areas that you are genuinely interested in.
There are lots of resources available to help you understand different careers and what they involve, the key is to try and chase a passion you have as you’ll have a head start in knowing what it’s all about. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask careers advisers for help, they have a big network that can be called upon to offer tips and advice. You won’t regret it.”
Nina
Wanted to be a: forensic pathologist, vet, actress
Is now: mental health nurse
“I never really knew what I wanted to do. All of my friends seemed to have really clear ideas and I always felt as though I was drifting a bit – just waiting to have that bolt of lightning moment when I’d realise what I was destined to be. It never really happened for me.
When I was little I wanted to be a vet, but I was never very good at science. Then I started watching Silent Witness and wanted to be a forensic pathologist. Until I found out I’d have to go to medical school and work as a doctor first. I knew I liked drama so I thought about being an actress, but the uncertainty of that always put me off. Then I (very briefly!) debated teaching drama.
I did a careers test at school and it told me to be a nurse – which I rejected immediately as that was my mum’s job. Or to work in the funeral industry. Which felt very out of left field. I chose my GCSEs, A Levels, and undergraduate degree without any career goals in mind. I slightly winged it and went for subjects I enjoyed and hoped that at some point I’d be struck by inspiration and everything would fall into place.
I have learnt that education and careers are very rarely a straight path. My journey to nursing was a slightly chaotic one, where I never really knew what the end goal was. When I finished school I went to university and did a degree in Drama and History. I didn’t have any plans in mind so I just threw myself into any opportunity that came my way. I was in a film (terrible, never released); I went to Romania to teach drama workshops; and I went to the US to work at a summer camp over two summers. At the end of university I still didn’t know what I wanted to do for a career, so I went out and got a job.
I worked in a call centre for a credit card company activating credit cards. I hated that so I quit to become a kayak instructor. Then I realised I was becoming a kayak instructor in January and it was absolutely freezing on the lake. I lasted a week before quitting and got a job working in customer service in an office. In the meantime, a friend and I both decided we didn’t like our jobs, and had no idea what kind of careers we wanted, so we quit and went backpacking around Australia for a year.
When I got back I decided I was going to live with my mum, save up, and move to London to intern in some theatres. To save the most money I applied for jobs that were walking distance from her house. My choices were the Co-Op or a psychiatric hospital. The hospital paid a pound more an hour so I ended up working there as a Support Worker. I thought I’d stay for six months, and I ended up there for two years. I loved it. I spoke to staff in various careers and realised that nursing was the one for me. I ended up moving to London to study mental health nursing. That was 12 years ago and I’m still a nurse, and love my job (stressful though it can be).
Nina’s advice: I learned that it’s OK not to know what you want to do. It’s OK not to have a plan. And it’s OK to take opportunities without knowing where they might lead. “
Ryan
Wanted to: work in the media
Is now: management consultant in healthcare/NHS
“Be open-minded about the variety of career pathways available today. Take risks in your academic journey; employers are equally interested in an individual’s softer skills as well as academic capabilities. When in full-time employment seek out opportunities within organisations and volunteer to do things outside of your immediate area of responsibility as well as comfort zone. Being a good communicator is essential, this includes both written, verbal and listening skills. Seek out like-minded colleagues and peers and don’t be afraid to ask for help from more senior or experienced colleagues, you’ll be surprised at how receptive people are about helping and talking about themselves!
I have enjoyed a varied career that started in the private sector, in events, training, and conferences, but have since had over 20 years working in the public sector across, civil service, local authority, and NHS. Over the years I have had help from amazing leaders, mentors, and career coaches. My own successes have influenced and shaped those around me, managing professional networks is key!”
Roufiat
Wanted to be a: accountant
Is now: engineer
“There are more job opportunities than have been naturally exposed to you. Explore all job roles, even ones stereotypically for men. Ask your family and network about their jobs, maybe you’ll identify a job or an element of a job that you’ll want. Be ambitious and remember a job will roughly take 40 hours of your life every week. It is worth finding a job you’ll love, otherwise, you’ll probably end up very grumpy.”
Laurence (Monty Oxymoron from The Damned)
Wanted to be a: an artist
Is now: musician/psychiatric nurse
“I am doing something I wished for but thought would never happen. I trained as a psychiatric nurse and worked for decades, latterly to support myself in between musical tours. I joined one of my favourite bands: the Damned in 1996 and have played with them ever since. We have toured all over the world. So don’t assume your dreams won’t come true in work, but be careful what you wish for!”
Got some advice of your own to share?
All of the above advice was offered by alumni volunteers on The Future First Hub. Our safe, social-media style platform which enables volunteers to interact and connect with young people, schools, employers and fellow volunteers.
From filling out your profile, demonstrating where you started and how you got to where you are now, to finding volunteering opportunities both in-person and online, you can also find out if your old school or college has a registered alumni network.