Please tell us about your career path since leaving Northumbria
About a year after I left Northumbria, I left the job I had been in for about 6 years, and moved organisation from an acting school which was very hands-on to an online college which is much more administrative.
Please tell us about your current job and what it involves
I work in the admissions department of a busy online college.
The role is largely administrative involving communications with applicants, processing of applications from initial stages to interview to acceptance and induction onto programmes. I enjoy the role but feel I could handle more responsibility. My background is in much smaller organisations in which I could make more of an impact, but this role is much less stressful than my previous one and has much lower demands on my time outside of standard working hours, so I am happy!
What made you choose Northumbria University?
It was the only provider available to me offering part-time/distance learning in the field I wanted to study.
What was your favourite thing about your course and/or Northumbria University?
I loved it. I loved the flexibility of learning according to my own schedule and the ease of progressing through the course in that way. I thoroughly enjoyed the onsite sessions offered too and found them really helpful. I found the programme content and tutor support very helpful too.
In one sentence, sum up your time here at Northumbria.
Enjoyable and empowering - I enjoyed learning plus the sense of achievement after the two years of hard work is something I am very proud of.
If you have one, please describe a fond or positive memory of your time at Northumbria
I really enjoyed meeting my classmates and tutors at the onsite sessions offered with the programme. As I once said it to my supervisor, they "took the distance out of distance learning"!
What professional achievement are you most proud of since leaving university?
I am glad that I changed job, but I think I would have done that anyway.
What career objectives do you still have?
I would dearly love to get into the area I studied of Information Management or Information Design. There are few opportunities for this in Ireland though and with a young family, I am not in a position to relocate so I think I will need to bide my time!
How have your experiences at Northumbria University helped your life and career so far?
I think it gave me the confidence to job hunt and make applications in a concerted, concentrated way.
What advice would you give students who wish to pursue a similar career to yours?
Be flexible and creative with how you apply your skills or how you describe them with a view to moving on. It is always possible to use a qualification or combine disparate qualifications and apply them to a workplace setting. If you can be flexible and a little bit assertive, you can show your employer the value of you that they may not have seen and create a niche for yourself.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about studying at Northumbria University?
Definitely pursue it. Get advice from staff and alumni about it and make your decision, but as a distance learning provider, I would definitely recommend.
