Another new week brings the latest post in our My First Steps series. Up this week we’ve got Louis Mignot, a recent War Studies graduate with an interesting tale of how things not going to plan can still lead to you going down a desirable career path….
I graduated from King’s in 2016 in War Studies with History. Unlike most of my peers, I had already started a full-time job in the Civil Service a month before my graduation. I am now in a really enjoyable and interesting role at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
I’d be lying if I said that was by design. In truth, in the build-up to graduation like many students I was considering various options and had many irons in the fire. My plan was to teach, and I had a place lined up on the Teach First programme. Unfortunately for me my place on the scheme was deferred to late 2017, meaning I had to find a job to fill the year. That is what led me to take a job at the Department for Education, a role I was able to secure in a short space of time in large part due to my demonstrable interest in education.
A year on from graduation I had withdrawn from the Teach First programme and had just joined the FCO, where I have been working on the Middle East for just over a year. My job is fascinating, and it builds on my academic interest in foreign affairs.
The eagle-eyed will note that I have not mentioned the Civil Service Fast Stream. That’s because I’m not on it and never applied! The Fast Stream is a fantastic scheme and one that I would encourage all prospective civil servants to consider. It just didn’t fit with my timelines, since I initially had to find a job as quickly as possible to fill the time between graduation and my intended participation in Teach First. But I don’t feel disadvantaged by not joining the Fast Stream; today I am working at an equivalent level to my fast stream colleagues and it’s hard to tell the difference.
That would be basis of my advice to recent graduates and students thinking about their careers. Don’t get fixated on ‘graduate’ schemes, as they are the only option. They are doubtless a great choice, but a career is a long and winding road – no-one will get their dream job immediately. It just doesn’t happen and, frankly, if your dream job is available straight out of university, you need to dream bigger! You might also want to change your career choices at some point in your life. There are innumerable ways into any field. Sometimes you need to put the ground work in to earn the opportunity to step into something more personally interesting.
In my case, I wanted to work on foreign affairs at some point in my career. Upon joining the Civil Service, I realised I could apply for a transfer to the FCO. So I worked hard at my first department for almost a year until I had the skills and experience required to make the step to the FCO. I haven’t looked back since.