Finding a job as a recent graduate is hard, and even harder when you’re not sure which sector you want to start a career in. We often hear stories of graduates not being loyal to companies – only staying for a couple of years before leaving to pursue a new role because they just don’t know which sector they’d like to work in. Emma Rosen, graduate of the University of Exeter with a degree in History & International Relations and a MA in Applied Security Strategy, is taking on the challenge of trying out 25 different jobs before she turns 25. Here’s why she’s doing it:
“Four months ago, I made the decision to leave my ‘job for life’ with the Civil Service in favour of an experimental idea: trying 25 jobs before I turn 25, over the course of a year.
This is no gap year, but a radical sabbatical aimed at not only finding my ideal career, or careers, but also to better understand the challenges, desires and demands of many of my peers – the so-called millennial generation – with the aim of advising on future workplace trends.
That was how the challenge started – aimed at millennials by a millennial.
However, I soon realised that the issue of an unfulfilled workforce was not as generationally-defined as I had first thought. Since featuring in The Telegraph, among other publications, I have had a huge response from people of all ages, from school-age teenagers to those near retirement, alongside hundreds of millennials.
I am currently six jobs in and my goals are now threefold: to get a better understanding of what I want to do in the long run, to advocate for better careers education for young people and also to promote career fulfilment for those already in the workplace. At the strategic level, a happy and fulfilled workforce is a resilient workforce, that is able to withstand the economic and political shocks that we are experiencing with increasing frequency.
So how am I trying 25 careers in one year? I am spending anything from a couple of days to a couple of weeks working with inspirational organisations within each field, which I have contacted through a mixture of networking, cold-calling and my partnership with Milkround.
I would, therefore, be very grateful for any offers of work shadowing/experience in the UK, or abroad, in any of the industries I have yet to cover, including:
- International Development
- International Security
- Primatology
- TV & Film production
- Conservation
- Marine Biology
- Think Tank
- Hotel Critic
- Disaster/Crisis Management
- Homewear/Fashion Buyer
- Entrepreneurial start-up (preferably with a social impact focus).
Two weeks is, of course, not a substantial enough period of time to fully get to grips with a sector. This is why I am also looking to interview passionate senior individuals within each industry, to learn from their experience and to gain a more holistic insight into what it’s like to work within each.
What I can offer to an organisation or induvial in return, is writing about my experiences on my website and through my partnership with Milkround, which would be a great way to promote working with you. It would demonstrate to potential future candidates that you take their career fulfilment and happiness seriously.”
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You can view Emma’s website and blog here: http://www.25before25.co.uk
