Student - Iman

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Law (LLB Hons)

Why did you apply to Insights?

I applied for Insights as I felt my knowledge in regards to different career paths available to me, or in general, was quite limited. 

I felt this was a great opportunity for me to develop key skills I need in order to thrive in various career avenues. 

Explain your Insights experience. 

For me it was a week-long stay in London. The convenience of London's transport system made it very easy for us to travel across the different boroughs where the alumni's offices were. We had the pleasure to attend and get a tour of some of the alumni's offices such as in the Scotland's Civil Service and the British Airways Headquarters.

We also attended a rooftop networking event in the city centre, that allowed us to speak to different alumni, many of them recent graduates who shared their experiences after leaving university and how they came to work in the job they currently have. This was another brilliant experience. 

In addition to visiting our alumni hosts, we also had time to explore the city.

Was the experience what you expected or different?

It was very helpful that the Insights Team provides us with so much preparation via the multiple workshops hosted in early 2024, including hearing first hand from students who partook in the programme the year previous. This meant that there was nothing drastically different that occurred during the week than what I had anticipated. 

The experience contributed to my personal skills development, broadening my knowledge and giving me the ability to navigate London.

One thing that I did not fully expect however, was just how prestigious some of the offices of the alumni were. so it was definitely a pleasure to be allowed to visit in-person. 

What were the alumni you met like?

The alumni that we met during our allocated video calls were lovely and very down to earth. Similarly the alumni we met in London were welcoming and very eager to give us advice, help and encouraged us to contact them if we ever needed guidance. Many of the alumni had very similar backgrounds to our group and it was a relief to hear that they also were not certain of what they wanted to pursue halfway through their undergraduate degrees. 

How have you benefited from speaking to alumni?

I've benefited from speaking with all the alumni in various ways. I feel reassured to know that you don not have to have a concrete career plan set out and that it is okay to be a little unsure of exactly what you want to pursue after university.

It was also great to know that you do not always need to have a certain degree to pursue a certain career, and that there is  more of a shift towards personal skills that employers look for.  I am also now aware of what work experience some employers favour on things like CV's, for example, the alumni working in the Communication sector told us experience in executive positions of university societies is favourable to their company and similar companies. 

What are the benefits of having participated in the Insights Programme for you?

As a law student, the legal sector favours transferable skills as legal work experience is not straightforward to get. This means that I am more confident with the experience I have gained at Insights, alongside the knowledge of knowing it is beneficial for me if I would ever apply for training contracts. It has definitely helped me understand that all types of work experience are valuable. 

What will you do now as a result of having taken part in Insights?

I have gained vast  amounts of experience with this programme and now I feel even more enthusiastic about pursuing more; whether that be joining and being active in university societies, volunteering at Open Days and generally just looking out for more career opportunities via MyCareerHub.