Published: 24 February 2022
When you start speaking with your fellow students about their career plans, it can often seem like everyone has their future in place, right?
Of course, students at the University of Sunderland in London are ambitious and driven, but this doesn’t mean you have to know exactly what you want from day one.
That being said, we wanted to give you a few quick ideas for how to start thinking about your career plan while you're working towards your degree.
Begin with what you’re good at
Everyone is great at something. We don’t mean you have to be the best, but there will be one or more things you do better than average.
That’s the place to start when planning your future. It could be something related to your course, a hobby you have or just the way you think.
But whatever it is, use it as the jumping-off point to find careers that excite you and fill you with confidence.
If you are struggling to think of what you’re good at, try asking friends, lecturers, family and colleagues. You might be surprised by their answers.
Or try the Myers-Briggs test for an objective look at your personality.
Learn the lessons of your past
One of the best ways of understanding where you want to go in the future is by looking at your past.
Think about the things you’ve done (whether that’s work, social life, volunteering or anything else) and ask some key questions.
For example:
- Why did you enjoy the specific task?
- What was it about the sector I liked?
- What did I like about the people?
- What wasn’t so great about it?
Doing this will help you think of the most important aspects of the experience, which in turn forces your mind to focus on the stands out things you might have ignored at the time.
Talk
The working world is all about connections, meeting people, learning and being open to new experiences.
Tapping into that network is a great way of finding out more about potential career choices for your future.
Find people online at their work profiles, on social media or through your friends, family and other connections.
Just remember to always have questions prepared in advance, be polite and listen carefully to any answers they give you.
Think about the environment
The average person will spend around 90,000 hours at work during their lifetime. That’s an awful lot of time - about 13% of our lives - in one situation.
With this in mind, it’s so important to think through the kind of places and cultures you will do best in.
Do you want a fast-paced, competitive world or one that’s based on collaboration? Is remote working something you want or is being surrounded by people more important?
Think about the kinds of places you’ve excelled in, whether that’s former jobs, university, or somewhere else.
Take what you learn into consideration as you start looking for roles.
Whatever you want to do when you graduate from the University of Sunderland in London, our Careers and Employability team are here for you.
Share your work goals with the community on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #WeAreSunLon.