On Friday 11th May, the Department of Geography welcomed nine alumni back to the department to take part in a ‘speed networking’ event for undergraduate students. Geography and Environmental Science undergraduates were given the opportunity to sit down and talk with our alumni, who have pursued careers in an array of industries.
Students were given ten minutes to sit down with each alum, until the time came when the alumni were asked to switch tables and begin the next ten-minute discussion. Students had to be prepared to keep their questions concise in order to make the most of the time they had with each alum.
The speed networking event provided students with the opportunity to find out what kind of career opportunities are accessible to geography graduates. The alumni offered their insight from working in industries such as healthcare, food manufacturing, local government, market research, and defence.
Our alumni were impressed with the engagement and ambition of our undergraduate students and were grateful for having the opportunity to give back to the department. The students were surprised by the diversity of career paths that our alumni have taken. Clare Widdowson, GeogSoc President 2017/18, noted that the best piece of advice she received from our alumni was, ‘you can do anything you want with your degree as long as you apply yourself and are confident’. Second year student, Matthew Keedy, stated that the experience gave him “an insight into different career paths and how to achieve [his] goals”.
A big thank you to all our alumni who took part in the event, and to all the students who made organising the event worthwhile. The next speed networking event is expected to take place in the Autumn semester.
