Hi! I’m Kimberly, a final year Digital Media & Culture student, and am here to share some of the careers options you have on my course, as well as the actions you can take each year!
Year 1
First-year is a great year for setting your foundations for your career goals, or even if you’re just testing the waters in different types of jobs. In my first year, I got lucky with my timetable and only had to go in for classes on Monday and Tuesdays – leaving the rest of my week free. While it felt amazing having all that free time at first, I quickly became restless and felt like I needed to do something meaningful to fill my time. That’s when I decided to apply for a part-time internship and eventually scored an internship at a PR agency. Even when my schedule changed in the next semester, they were able to accommodate me coming in on 2 full days and one half-day. I found the experience really rewarding and kept me on my feet, so I would highly recommend trying to find a part-time internship if you can. Even if your timetable doesn’t allow this, there are loads of short-term work experience roles you can apply for during Easter or winter break too (e.g. in advertising or media companies like the BBC). It is also worth noting that the Big 4 audit firms, banks and law firms hold insight days/weeks specifically for first-year students if you’re interested in going down any of those paths.
Year 2
In second-year, most people continue doing what they do in first-year, with increased importance on getting summer internships. These internships usually last about 3 months, which gives you more time to immerse yourself and settle into the swing of things at a particular company compared to the shorter work experience stints that you might have done in first-year. This also gives you the chance to learn and further develop any skills, as well as the time to work on more projects that you can eventually include in your CV. For many jobs, successful completion of a summer internship could lead to the student getting a graduate job offer, or fast-tracking their graduate application to the firm. This would then prove immensely useful in your third year when you’re looking for a graduate job!
Year 3
In your third year, there is an option to take an Internship module, which you can complete either during term time or during your summer holidays before the start of third-year (as mentioned earlier). The internship module consists of classes that give you advice on building up your CV, creating a LinkedIn profile, finding jobs, as well as a 2000 word reflection essay after you’ve completed your internship. Whether or not you take the internship module, most will agree that this year is high time to find a graduate job. Applications for graduate schemes start as early as September, so it is vital to plan your time and fit application time around your schedule (it could take more time than you think)! Personally, I found it helpful keeping an organised table of potential jobs, their deadlines, and an overview of the application process, just to lay out what I had to do. While graduate applications can be a daunting process, don’t forget that you can always ask for help – whether it’s through the King’s Career Services or just asking friends to vet your applications before sending them through. You’re not alone in this!
Good luck!
Read More
If you liked Kimberly’s post, check out her other blog post on the best places in Stratford, London.
Find out more about the careers help offered by King’s here.
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