Final year students hear from languages and literature alumni on making the most of their chosen degrees. HTML Image Language graduates at our panel event. Image © Graham Clark. It’s always lovely to hear what our graduates have been up to since they left the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC), and so, this year, we decided to share their stories more widely.‘Life after LLC’ was a panel event for our final year undergraduates and taught masters students, aiming to inform and inspire learners on the cusp of leaving university with tales from people who’ve recently been in their shoes.Run jointly with colleagues from both the Careers Service and Development & Alumni, we welcomed eight recent graduates back to LLC: four from a languages background (working in media relations, government policy, documentary production, and widening access to education); and four with a literature degree (working in advertising, publishing, journalism and events management).Over post-discussion drinks, students and graduates chatted further about the issues raised, including how best to showcase the skills you develop at university when applying for jobs, and how to draw on a range of experiences while forging your career pathway. Image Literature graduates at our panel event. Image © Graham Clark. Springboards to further successA number of themes emerged from the short panel presentations, including the initiative and resilience shown by graduates in adapting to new circumstances and opportunities as they arise, rather than following a fixed career path.For language graduates, the Year Abroad (which most students complete in their third year) seemed to be particularly useful in preparing for this aspect of life, post-university.In feedback, students commented on the helpfulness of hearing that “you never know how any choice may springboard you onto further success”, and that there are “many possibilities for career journeys and the paths people take to get there. I have many skills and I need to believe in myself and my abilities when applying for jobs”.Other comments included “It was so useful to hear first-hand experiences from the graduates themselves… It was refreshing to attend an event which was led, essentially, by the graduate speakers – the informal feel made it enjoyable”. HTML Your chance to get involvedPreparing our learners for life after LLC is very important to us, and we plan to run a number of events like this in the future, including for students in their earlier university years.This event focused primarily on English Literature and European Languages, and, encouraged by feedback, we aim to broaden the range of degrees and career paths discussed.If you are an LLC graduate who has completed their degree in the past five years and would like to share your experiences in an event like this, please get in touch with the University's Alumni Manager.As our students have said “It was nice to listen to so many different stories from really outgoing and friendly alums… It’s always good to hear perspectives from folks who were in the position you are in currently. The variety of experiences was appreciated”.Are you interested in studying at LLC?We offer one of the widest range of languages of any UK university, from Arabic to Norwegian, Scottish Gaelic to Japanese, and are home to the oldest department of English Literature in the UK, one of the longest established in the world.Find out more about undergraduate study with us Related links Read Mairi Wilson's graduate profile This article was published on 2024-08-13
HTML Image Language graduates at our panel event. Image © Graham Clark. It’s always lovely to hear what our graduates have been up to since they left the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC), and so, this year, we decided to share their stories more widely.‘Life after LLC’ was a panel event for our final year undergraduates and taught masters students, aiming to inform and inspire learners on the cusp of leaving university with tales from people who’ve recently been in their shoes.Run jointly with colleagues from both the Careers Service and Development & Alumni, we welcomed eight recent graduates back to LLC: four from a languages background (working in media relations, government policy, documentary production, and widening access to education); and four with a literature degree (working in advertising, publishing, journalism and events management).Over post-discussion drinks, students and graduates chatted further about the issues raised, including how best to showcase the skills you develop at university when applying for jobs, and how to draw on a range of experiences while forging your career pathway. Image Literature graduates at our panel event. Image © Graham Clark. Springboards to further successA number of themes emerged from the short panel presentations, including the initiative and resilience shown by graduates in adapting to new circumstances and opportunities as they arise, rather than following a fixed career path.For language graduates, the Year Abroad (which most students complete in their third year) seemed to be particularly useful in preparing for this aspect of life, post-university.In feedback, students commented on the helpfulness of hearing that “you never know how any choice may springboard you onto further success”, and that there are “many possibilities for career journeys and the paths people take to get there. I have many skills and I need to believe in myself and my abilities when applying for jobs”.Other comments included “It was so useful to hear first-hand experiences from the graduates themselves… It was refreshing to attend an event which was led, essentially, by the graduate speakers – the informal feel made it enjoyable”. HTML Your chance to get involvedPreparing our learners for life after LLC is very important to us, and we plan to run a number of events like this in the future, including for students in their earlier university years.This event focused primarily on English Literature and European Languages, and, encouraged by feedback, we aim to broaden the range of degrees and career paths discussed.If you are an LLC graduate who has completed their degree in the past five years and would like to share your experiences in an event like this, please get in touch with the University's Alumni Manager.As our students have said “It was nice to listen to so many different stories from really outgoing and friendly alums… It’s always good to hear perspectives from folks who were in the position you are in currently. The variety of experiences was appreciated”.Are you interested in studying at LLC?We offer one of the widest range of languages of any UK university, from Arabic to Norwegian, Scottish Gaelic to Japanese, and are home to the oldest department of English Literature in the UK, one of the longest established in the world.Find out more about undergraduate study with us
