{"id":10649,"date":"2026-08-27T07:39:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T07:39:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/?p=10649"},"modified":"2026-08-27T07:39:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T07:39:10","slug":"sharing-experience-shaping-futures-the-impact-of-a-cardiff-careers-talk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/2026\/08\/27\/sharing-experience-shaping-futures-the-impact-of-a-cardiff-careers-talk\/","title":{"rendered":"Sharing experience, shaping futures: the impact of a Cardiff careers talk"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tom Walby (BSc 2003, MSc 2005), a geotechnical and geoenvironmental specialist and Technical Manager at Prichard Remediation, shared his journey from lecture theatre to industry, offering practical advice and honest reflections on an alumni career panel.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He and three other alumni, gave up their time for an evening panel session, organised by the University, showcasing the range of careers available within Geoscience. Returning to Cardiff University gave Tom a moment of reflection and renewed purpose \u2013 while giving students valuable insight into life beyond graduation.<\/p>\n

After completing his degree with the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Tom began his career on the consultancy side of the environmental and civil engineering sector.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started out being shown the ropes, learning how ground investigations and contaminated land assessments worked in practice,\u201d he explains. \u201cOnce I built up my confidence, I was out in the field doing the work myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over time, that hands-on experience evolved into mentoring others, before a move into the contracting sector with Prichard\u2019s. Today, his role bridges the gap between technical assessments and on-site delivery \u2013 advising on strategies for resource recovery, waste minimisation and major development projects.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s this breadth of experience that makes alumni voices so valuable to students \u2013 bringing their subjects to life and showing how knowledge translates into the real world. When invited to return to Cardiff, Tom\u2019s initial reaction was one of surprise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hadn\u2019t fully appreciated how far I\u2019d come since my time as a student,\u201d he reflected. \u201cI saw the opportunity as a chance to speak to my younger self and share honest insight into the career journey ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite being away for 20 years, returning to campus felt familiar.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile many things have changed, the learning environment is still defined by the enthusiasm and ambition of its students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rose (Geology 2023-), one of the students in the audience, shared: \u201cI found the alumni panel really inspiring. We heard from three alumni in different roles about how their careers have developed and their top tips for CVs and job applications. I am grateful for opportunities like this as they broaden your horizons and give you and insight into what to expect from the world of work.\u201d<\/p>\n

This kind of interaction highlights the value of careers talks. They open up possibilities, introduce different perspectives and give students the confidence to ask questions about their own future paths. While the benefits for students are clear, the experience also had a lasting impact on Tom.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing back gave me the drive to reflect on my career, the wider industry and my own goals,\u201d he says. That reflection translated into tangible professional development, supporting achievements across several professional bodies, including the Geological Society, Institution of Civil Engineers, Chartered Institute of Building and Institute of Leadership.<\/p>\n

It also reinforced a key message Tom was keen to share: \u201cGraduation is not the finish line \u2013 there is no finish line, just new chapters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond personal development, careers talks create valuable connections between alumni, students and the University. For Tom, it was an opportunity to reconnect with Cardiff and engage with emerging talent in his field.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlumni provide perspectives that go beyond lectures and exams,\u201d he explains. \u201cSharing career journeys helps students understand how their academic skills translate into professional opportunities. It proves industry pathways exist and exposes students to careers they may not have considered.\u201d<\/p>\n

For alumni considering getting involved, Tom\u2019s message is simple: your experience matters.\u00a0\u201cI would encourage any alum to get involved. Experience gives you a perspective you simply don\u2019t have at the start of your career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sharing career stories, mentoring and supporting students isn\u2019t about having a perfect journey \u2013 it\u2019s about sharing insight, lessons learned and the realities of working life. By doing so, alumni can have a lasting impact on students at a pivotal stage in their lives.\u00a0\u201cYou have more to offer than you think,\u201d Tom adds. \u201cShare it.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you are in interested in volunteering your time, expertise, and experience to support and inspire students, we would love to hear from you<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tom Walby (BSc 2003, MSc 2005), a geotechnical and geoenvironmental specialist and Technical Manager at Prichard Remediation, shared his journey from lecture theatre to industry, offering practical advice and honest reflections on an alumni career panel.","protected":false},"author":904,"featured_media":10651,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[199,39,99,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-stories","category-cardiff-connect","category-careers","category-news"],"meta_box":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/904"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10649"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10649\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10656,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10649\/revisions\/10656"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}