I’ve just spent about six hours at the Biological Sciences Careers Fair,
which was organised by the university’s BioSoc committee and the Careers team. Having
a seemingly endless amount of things to do, including practicals and tutorials
to prepare for, write-ups to hand in, daily dance classes, squad rehearsals,
running a society, managing a social life and a whole lot more (!), I was initially a
little reluctant to expend so many valuable hours of the day listening to
people talk about career options, postgraduate study, CVs, networking, etc.
Luckily, I’m absolutely terrible at turning down opportunities and
after attending the various sessions I completely feel that it was worth the
time and I really appreciate the effort that was put into organising the day!
Not only have I found answers to many of the questions which have been circling
my mind since the start of term, as well as gaining invaluable advice and
relevant information about today’s job market, I also feel a new excitement
about the future which now seems a little less daunting after learning more
about the different career paths and job possibilities (some of which I didn’t
even know existed) and basically what I should be thinking about in order to
best prepare myself for success. In addition to this, I’m feeling extra
motivated to go out and get even more involved in activities that will enhance
my CV, especially things more related to my course. I’m lucky to be at a university which offers
plenty of opportunities to do just that.
For example, a couple of weeks ago I signed up for a paid field work
opportunity at a site in Northington, helping a PhD student to collect data on
poplar trees (which can be used as a bioenergy crop). We left the University at
8am and returned around 6pm. It was a long day but I definitely enjoyed myself
and would be more than willing to spend more time out in the field. As well as
getting paid we were also given a generous lunch and I have to say it was nice
to get out and spend the day in the fresh air.
We were lucky that the only time it rained was during our lunch break.
It did get quite cold towards the end but at least the sun was kind enough to
show its face during the day.
We discovered that my field partner seemed to have a secret admirer.
Don’t you just love nature…
It was rewarding to get a little more field experience.
I had never previously used a digital calliper which happened
to be so much convenient than the manual ones I was used to. I also enjoyed meeting
some new people and learning a bit more about some of the research happening at
Southampton.
Another opportunity I grabbed hold of was an Emergency First Aid
Training day, organised by StageSoc, last Saturday. To be completely honest,
one of the main reasons for me wanting to do the course was so I could get the
qualifications and add them to my CV. However, it turns out I truly did end up
learning a great deal about what I now think of as essential information on how
to act in different emergency situations. I even learnt crucial points about
situations I previously thought I knew how to handle such as what you should do
if you accidently cut part of your finger off… Tip of the day: do not put the
detached end in ice (which is what I thought you were supposed to do)! Wrap it in plastic and keep it cool as you
bring it with you to the hospital. I could go on for a while about the things I
learnt during the course, in fact, I didn’t even know what an AED was before
the day. (And if you’re sitting there, reading this, wondering what an AED is…
Go and find out! You may save someone’s life someday!)
I’m hoping you’re now feeling a little more inspired to go and get more
involved in the different opportunities on offer. I rarely regret trying
something new but almost always regret not giving it a go!
Kristin
No comments:
Post a Comment