Having completed my Master\u2019s in 2016, I\u2019m still relatively new to the world of work. Did I know what I wanted to do with my Creative Writing MA? Not a clue! But I started applying for jobs while I was still writing my dissertation, which resulted in a job offer at a women\u2019s refuge to start the following September.<\/p>\n
It was a bumpy road from there on out, because I lost that job after five months. There was a nasty sting in realising I wasn\u2019t the right person for the role. I didn\u2019t stop to think about whether the role was right for me. (Spoiler alert: it wasn\u2019t!) I have a gap on my CV from where I tried to get back on my feet, followed by a hodgepodge of temporary gigs: caf\u00e9 work, retail, portering. I remember feeling rudderless, though looking back, I now have loads of transferable skills. Employers value customer service, whether you are working in a shop or for an insurance firm.<\/p>\n
Working on a seasonal contract, I needed a backup plan, and I started applying for jobs at the University of Bath. For me, job offers are like buses \u2013 nothing, nothing, nothing, and then two come at once. I took a job with the Uni, though I was terrified it wouldn\u2019t work out. What if I just couldn\u2019t hold down a job?<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t have known it at the time, but those fears were unfounded \u2013 I\u2019ve been with the Careers Service for 18 months now. As an Information Assistant, one minute I might be analysing our event attendances for the year; the next I might be brainstorming for a marketing project. Transferable skills are sometimes less obvious in the creative arts, but that doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re not there. I pride myself on thinking outside the box, welcoming novelty, and communicating my ideas engagingly.<\/p>\n
The temporary jobs I held in the past are still relevant to my career \u2013 they weren\u2019t just a means to an end. Believe it or not, I really enjoyed busy days on my feet at the caf\u00e9! I can get quite antsy if I\u2019m sat down all day, doing the same task, so I really value hybrid work that requires a bit of multitasking. Dipping my toes into a range of jobs helped me realise this. Recognising my strengths and values is an ongoing process \u2013 not one I had all figured out in 2016.<\/p>\n
This might sound like a contradiction, but alongside everyday variety, I need stability too. Temping could be stressful at times \u2013 there was always a risk my hours could be cut, and constant job hunting was exhausting. Simplistic as it may be, I value having regular work and a paycheque I can rely on. Go ahead and embrace those so-called contradictions \u2013 there\u2019s a balance there somewhere that will work for you.<\/p>\n
While I won\u2019t be leaving Careers any time soon, I am excited to find out what my future holds. There\u2019s no set path, and although that can be scary at times, it can also be hugely liberating. With my customer service and information experience \u2013 and obvious love of literature \u2013 I think one day I\u2019d like to try working for a public library. I guess we\u2019ll see what happens!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Having completed my Master\u2019s in 2016, I\u2019m still relatively new to the world of work. Did I know what I wanted to do with my Creative Writing MA? Not a clue! But I started applying for jobs while I was...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1443,"featured_media":2304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[748],"tags":[165,15,423],"class_list":["post-2302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archive","tag-graduate-job-search","tag-job-hunting","tag-transferable-skills"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/82\/2021\/10\/laura-kapfer-hmCMUZKLxa4-unsplash-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1443"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2302\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}