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Careers

Improving career prospects with postgraduate study at Cardiff

30 August 2017

Some of our postgraduate students discuss how they think their postgraduate studies at Cardiff will benefit their future career plans:

Emma, MA Medieval British Studies

“My future career plans include an array of achievements, however, in the short term after I gain my MA qualification, I intend to study a doctorate.  Clearly my current course is the next step in that plan and will provide me with the necessary skills to study at doctorate level.  My postgraduate qualification will provide me with the academic and social skills necessary to pave my way to writing books, papers and even working in television within my chosen field, plans I would very much like to achieve sometime in the future.”

Linh, MSc International Economics, Banking and Finance

“The training and knowledge gained from my MSc at Cardiff University have enhanced my intellectual curiosity greatly. In addition, the content of the programme offers a good blend of theoretical and applied components. The latter is essential to equip oneself with employability skills needed in the workplace, e.g. conduct research, writing reports and presenting, and appreciate the applicability of taught content with what is relevant in practice within the field. It is my goal to pursue a career in economic research and consulting, on top of the relevant training and knowledge (for me, in econometrics); the lecturers at Cardiff University have given me many useful insights and advice throughout my time here.”

Shouja, MSc Medical Education

“I am a paediatrician completing my specialist training towards consultancy. Medical education has always been an interest of mine, and I aim to balance a clinical career with University level academic / teaching activities. For example, being the head of child health in the undergraduate medical degree at cardiff university. The MSc in Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education was a means to acquire formal qualifications, experience and network with individuals who may facilitate reaching my career aspirations. Some of my assignments from the course have been published, for example in the Welsh Paediatric Journal or Archives of Disease in Childhood. Education projects from the year have been presented nationally and internationally, including the RCPCH national, DEMEC and All-Wales Curriculum conference. An e-tutorial that I produced won the Cardiff University Department Best Media Prize, which the GMC has shown interest in recognising as an example of good practice. I feel therefore that my studies in Cardiff have absolutely helped boost my potential to reach my career aspirations.”

Charalampos, MSc Maritime Policy and Shipping Management

“I knew from the beginning of my studies that a postgraduate degree could be a “tool” that would give me easier access to any job post in my sector. Studying at Cardiff gave me the ability to improve my English which is totally necessary in my sector (shipping). Furthermore, the fact that I extended my studies after my undergraduate degree, could be an important asset for my CV and the possibilities to obtain a job are higher. Regarding my future career plans, I prefer to find a job in UK, a country with tradition in maritime industry in order to obtain international experience. Specifically I expect to work for a shipping company and through tough work I hope to climb up the hierarchy and obtain another post with more responsibilities.”

David, MSc Data Science and Analytics

“My postgraduate studies at Cardiff will benefit my career plans immensely. I am currently working on a dissertation project with Welsh Water, one of the most prominent companies in Wales. This was completely organised by the university and will help me a lot in my job search. This is because work experience is greatly valued by companies and studying at Cardiff has enabled me to gain this, alongside academic skills. My plan is to pursue a career as a Data Scientist. Gaining an MSc in Data Science and Analytics will make this plan much easier to follow through.”

Rachel, MA Forensic Linguistics

“I think my postgraduate studies at Cardiff will benefit my future career because I have developed key skills, such as research and critical writing, which are valuable in a variety of job roles. Studying for a Masters in a different subject to my undergraduate degree has allowed me to broaden my academic knowledge and gain new experiences, which has contributed to my skills development.  I also have a greater understanding of my strengths and weaknesses than before I started my postgraduate studies. In terms of future career plans, I would like to work in publishing. I am particularly interested in working in academic publishing, publishing journals, textbooks and academic books. I believe the skills I have developed during both my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees will be valuable assets as I embark on my future career.”

Alun, MSc Neuroimaging: Methods and Applications

“I joined the MSC neuroimaging course with the intention of pursuing a career as a researcher. As a mature student this meant leaving my previous career of 14 years so I had to be pretty well set on this new path. The course is very focused toward academia with a strong practical and research component. I’m currently working on my summer project in sleep and memory and will hopefully carry on to do a PhD at Cardiff University in the future. Without having first competed the masters course I don’t feel I would have necessarily been ready academically nor confident enough to go straight into a PhD so it has definitely been a worthwhile and positive experience.”

Hannah, MA Broadcast Journalism

“The Broadcast Journalism course at Cardiff has prepared me for a career in journalism by providing me with the necessary skills to be able to deal with all the different aspects of the job. I’ve learnt how to write for TV, radio and online pieces, as well as how to operate TV cameras and radio microphones to name but a few! The digital skills I’ve learnt will also prove invaluable to me as I embark on my career, not to mention the ways of finding stories and contributors and convincing them to take part in interviews. Additionally, the skills I’ve learnt behind the camera, such as knowing how to operate the TV gallery and radio studios, have provided me with skills that should I ever wish to go into production, I will have an idea of how things work. All in all, I feel that the course has provided me with as many skills and tools as possible to allow me to be a well-rounded journalist in a digital age.

In the future, I’d like to work in a newsroom and report on stories that matter to people, ensuring their voices get heard. Most newsrooms nowadays are bilingual which is great as it allows me to continue developing my skills in both English and Welsh. During my placement, I spent time in a newsroom on a daily news programme as well as with longer form programmes such as documentaries and both these experiences taught me different things. I’m therefore quite open as to where I’d like to end up; I’d like to try as many different roles within journalism as possible before deciding on which career path within journalism is best for me.”