Start your career journey

When should I start thinking about careers?

University is the ideal place to start thinking about your career, but don't wait until you're in your final year.

From the start of your first year, we can help you develop your workplace skills and confidence. This will help you build a plan A and a plan B to keep your career options open.

What's a good plan for each year?

This will depend on your individual circumstances but, broadly speaking, a typical career journey looks something like this:

Year 1

• Get in touch with us for guidance
• Look into work shadowing and mentoring opportunities
• Identify employers you'd like to approach
• Do an internship over the summer

Year 2

• Attend careers fairs and talk to employers
• Do a placement as part of your course
• Do an internship over the summer

Year 3

• Perfect your CV and take practice interviews
• Apply for graduate roles or a brokered placement
• Attend graduate interview events

How can I develop workplace skills at university?

Our advice is to get involved as much as you can, both on and off campus.

• Join a Student Union society or start your own. As well as being fun and a great way to meet people, you'll learn how to lead, organise and work in a team.
• Volunteer for a charity or a community project to gain solid workplace skills and experience – plus it looks great on your CV.
• Get a part-time job, which will boost both your skills and your bank balance.

How will you help me build my skills?

At the university, we help you develop academic skills and transferable skills (like communication and teamwork). We also offer practical support with applications, writing CVs and interview skills.

But your career is your own, and we aim to provide you with the tools and incentives to forge ahead and develop the skills that best suit your own path.

For example, our Greenwich Employability Passport is a points-based system that rewards your progress and achievements from extra-curricular activities.

You upload evidence of your work experience and other activities into the GEP hub. We award you points that grant you access to rewards, including special training and invites to exclusive events. If you collect 200 points, you'll receive a certificate listing your achievements and a LinkedIn recommendation.

What if I change my career plans during my degree?

No problem. University is all about discovering what you're into and where your strengths lie. We can help you make the necessary changes to get to where you want to be, whether it's more training for your new career choice or different workplace skills.

What if I want to continue studying?

There are lots of postgraduate study options. You could train to be a teacher in a specialist subject or deepen your knowledge of a particular subject through a master's degree. We offer scholarships and bursaries to current students who want to continue to a master's degree.

You could also take professional qualifications in areas such as accounting and finance, architecture, law and marketing. Look out for our accredited degrees as they can give you a head start in some professions.

Where do I start?

There are many ways we can help to build your skills and find the right path to your chosen career.

Get in touch to find out how we can help you.