Job Journeys: Our Brand-New Student Series To Help You Find Your Dream Career

After sitting in the comfort of university lecture halls for the past 3 years, the idea of having to head out into the real ‘adult’ world is very daunting, and I’m sure some of you are feeling the same.

I’m Hazel, a student on the commercial music course at UWS Ayr campus, and I’m in my final year, just beginning my search for a postgraduate job.

Even through the excitement of finishing your degree and having more freedom to start the next chapter of your life, it can still be stressful thinking about starting this search and all the steps that come with it.

From learning to write a standout CV or acing the interview questions, it’s undoubtedly a scary situation to find ourselves in for the first time. So, I’m here to take you through my journey to finding a job in the hope that it’ll help you too.

What’s the Job Journey series all about?

Studying for a creative degree is great because there are so many different pathways that I could take when it comes to finding a job. But as nice as it can be to feel a sense of freedom in my career path, it also leaves me panicking about where to start!

I want you to feel more comfortable and confident when thinking about those next steps after university, and I’m sharing my journey with you in the hopes that it can help you get ideas that you can apply to your own postgraduate job search!

This project is a part of Student Beans Futureproof initiative, which aims to help you build your confidence in making decisions about your future after leaving university.

The hope is that you feel empowered and comfortable to make these important choices about your future career, and I hope that by following me on my job search journey you feel encouraged to start your own too!

What am I looking for and how will I get there?

Over the next few months, I’ll be exploring the job market in the music industry and trying to narrow down the fields I’m interested in. I love the idea of working in live music events, but I’m also keen to explore jobs in marketing, journalism, and live performance.

I’ll be taking you along with me throughout my entire process, from browsing available roles to attending interviews and hopefully, landing a job!

Attending things like career fairs and doing your own research into companies or industry sectors can really help you narrow down what type of job or role you are looking for.

Speaking to people who are already employed in an industry you are interested is a great way to find out about the job from a different perspective.

Asking current employees about their own unique experiences in specific roles and sectors will give me a good idea of what roles I’m really interested in and drawn to, as well as finding out which companies have what I’m looking for from a workplace.

As someone with dyslexia, I really need a workplace that values its employees and wants to provide them with the support they need.

I would love a job that allows me to express my creativity and have social aspects to it as well, like being involved in the design and set up of live events. My dream job would be something that incorporates travel and lets me get some time out of the office to be hands on and practical with my work.

I’ll also look at what resources are already available to me from my university and have a talk with them to see if they can offer any guidance in my career search, or discuss any opportunities that they offer to help get me started in finding a job that’s right for me.

Some of my lecturers work directly in the music industry so may have good advice and contacts to narrow my search.

So, if you’re nervous about setting off on this journey into the world of the postgraduate workplace, you are not alone! As exciting as it can be, I would be lying if I said I’m not intimidated by the process too.

We want you to be confident going out and securing a job that you love, and I hope that by sharing my experience doing so over the next few months will make you feel confident and empowered to do it too!

Don’t forget you can get more great careers advice from our Futureproof page!